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Comedy Night 5

February 10, 2009 | ONLINE ONLY
Beki Senior

Production: Comedy Night 5
Venue: York Theatre Royal
Rating: ****

Anticipant fans, thrifty students and the odd humiliated late comer filled the packed out Comedy Night 5 at York Theatre Royal. It was quickly apparent from our back row gallery seat – which left little of the stage and more of the light fixtures to be admired – that booking well in advance was obviously a must. Although we grateful not be seated directly in front of the stage – clearly best suited for the very thick skinned.

Despite the unfortunate high-level seating in the auditorium, the Theatre Royal is fast becoming the cultural hot spot of York. The four featured comedians took to the microphone in the face of an expectant crowd – previous audiences had been cajoled by some of the U.K’s most talented comedians in Comedy Nights One to Four.

The first to be pitted against previous heavy weights was the slightly nonsensical narrator, Trevor Locke. Comic script writer for television, radio and theatre, his ‘uncomfortable’ comedy was well received. Moulding the stage with a somewhat Dickensian attitude, Locke’s twitchy, nervous comedy revolved around narrative stop/start jokes. A formula that effectively procured laughs before the first interval but lacked the diversity to circumvent some welcomed heckling towards the finale.

His successor was the regular Comedy Store comedian, Sean Meo. He flourished despite some unwilling audience participation, behind a routine filled with topical and slightly risqué commentary. Meo’s monotone slur captivated a charmed audience, whose praise, manipulated by clever nonchalant humor, was obtained with ease.

Following Meo was the self affirmed ‘sub-Hugh Grant-esque’ John Gordillo. Living up to his reputation in a jumper and jacket combo with a strong Notting Hill accent, Gordillo seemed amusingly out of his comfort zone. His miscellaneous story telling, although longwinded and over gratuitous use of ‘fuck’, procured well deserved hysterical laughter from a wiling audience.

However, after the end of the second act things became a little stale. If you couldn’t afford the £15 for a tub of ice cream, it is more than likely you have been sat in your seat for over an hour and a half, with – more noticeably in the gallery – little visual stimulation. By the final act, little more was expected than a similarly dressed male treading the boards in loafers.

Nevertheless, to allege The Raymond and Mr Timpkins Review shook things up a little would be an understatement. Clad in bike helmets, stripes and interesting sock and sandal combos, the double act refreshed the stage with a freakish mix of textual and visual prompts. A compilation CD of everyone’s favourite pop hits formed the basis of this hilarious prop driven act, cleverly inducing total audience participation and enlivening those expecting more generic stand up comedy. The final act’s interpretation of slapstick and gag comedy provided a simple but effective finale, which replenished a thoroughly enjoyable night of characteristic comedy.
With the next set of dates coming soon to the website, be sure to book early – to avoid visual disappointment in the gallery – and bring a large box of Jaffa Cakes – to thriftily avoid starvation in the interval.

Wholly recommend for a barginous student night out (only £5 for NUS and under 25’s), York Theatre Royal’s comedy nights provide cheap and effective entertainment for anyone wanting to experience what York has to offer, away from the University bubble.