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How entertaining? ★★★★☆
Thought provoking? ★★☆☆☆ 6 October 2012
This a comedy review of ROB DELANEY. |
“I don’t like British people or British culture… but what you do have is plenty of Indian women,” Rob Delaney
Writing about comedy is the same as writing about music, I’m sure you’ll agree. What makes us chortle, or the melodies that invigorate, are so subjective. However, the pleasure in talking about these subjects is derived from commenting on their relative merits. Newly minted Twitter king, Rob Delaney, is spending a week-long residency in London showcasing his latest material – acknowledged when he darts back to a music stand, containing his notes, to refresh the memory. I totally didn’t mind, if we’re hearing this stuff for the first time. Why Twitter king? This year he won the funniest person on that social network award, at the Comedy Central awards. Thus his appearance in the Big Smoke is a hot ticket.
Writing about comedy is the same as writing about music, I’m sure you’ll agree. What makes us chortle, or the melodies that invigorate, are so subjective. However, the pleasure in talking about these subjects is derived from commenting on their relative merits. Newly minted Twitter king, Rob Delaney, is spending a week-long residency in London showcasing his latest material – acknowledged when he darts back to a music stand, containing his notes, to refresh the memory. I totally didn’t mind, if we’re hearing this stuff for the first time. Why Twitter king? This year he won the funniest person on that social network award, at the Comedy Central awards. Thus his appearance in the Big Smoke is a hot ticket.
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While he is very funny in 140 characters, moving from that entry point into his material to a stand-up show had me most definitely intrigued, and excited. What I didn’t expect was a barrage of bodily fluid gags for just over an hour. Don’t get me wrong, I am neither prudish, nor averse to such humour – but having that as the continual punchline got occasionally wearisome. The discussion of adverts and his hatred of architects were welcome, and especially the latter, hilarious. Delaney mentions that he avoided political jokes for this set, as it does not get a big enough laugh. Firstly, he makes digs at Mitt Romney on Twitter; secondly, he expanded his brilliant Olympics tweet into a larger gag, so why not do some of that here? But thirdly, at least we had his support act, Grainne Maguire.
Maguire’s 20-minute routine regularly commented on anti-feminism in the mainstream, from The Pussycat Dolls to the Tory party. Slow to start, she built up enough steam for me to anticipate the honing and refining of her material in future – and the perhaps avoidance of shouting and/or gurning to enhance a pay-off. The extra star for how thought provoking above, is due to the comedienne. At less than half-an-hour, and Delaney’s one hour or so (excluding short encore), made me feel a little unsatisfied. More material for each would have turned the event into a night out in itself, and not just part of one.
The gag rate was very high for Delaney, and while relying too much on shock sex humour (admitting “abject filth”, which I won’t elaborate on, in case less that salubrious Google traffic comes this way), it is a compliment to his thought processes and delivery that I still wanted more.
