I have to be honest, I didn’t choose to
go and see Michael McIntyre, but last minute problems with the
booking of some shows resulted in the plans going out the window.
It was actually my sister who chose it, in the “2 for 1”
promotion… and I’m glad that she did!
The venue was the Attic in the Pleasance,
with seating for about three-dozen people at the most, and it was
probably about one third full.
Two audience members had been “accosted” in the street
by Michael, and asked him to sign their tickets, just in case he
was a success someday! The
fact that the turnout was rather small (and disappointing) helped,
as it was the butt of most of the initial jokes.
That sort of turnout may put off some people, but the
likeable Mr McIntyre seized the opportunity, and gave a slightly
different slant to his show, by interacting with the entire
audience.
A lot of comedians interact with their
audience, but this was the first time I’ve seen a performer
speak to each individual, so it was something slightly different.
Each audience member was given the opportunity to introduce
him or herself, and some (myself included) were subjected to
further questioning. It
was this further questioning that was used to link the various
topics of discussion, possibly to make it feel more like a bunch
of friends having a laugh, at it felt that way towards the end of
the show.
The material itself included a lot of
“men vs. women” discussions, with subjects such as engagement
and living together discussed, as well as other things such as
cars, and even popular coffee-shop chain Starbucks getting a
mention. His
“posh” background also comes in for a bit of a slagging too.
Most of the material was of funny observations that the audience
could relate to, and was delivered with charm and enthusiasm.
Having been to this show, I think it will
be only a matter of time before Michael McIntyre is playing bigger
venues (no disrespect intended) than the Attic at the Pleasance.
Genuinely funny, and well worthy of your
money!
Michael
McIntyre – reviewed by David Young
|