James Acaster is a name we are probably all familiar with, appearing on the likes of Room 101, QI, Have I Got News For You, and Live At The Apollo all fairly recently. Having experienced snippets of his slightly wacky personality and seemingly disjointed humour, I was intrigued to discover what a full comedy performance from him would entail.
I was not disappointed. From his first entrance on stage to set up his equipment, dressed from head to toe in brown, he had the audience onside from the beginning. Declaring us 'the dream team', Acaster gushes over the crowd in his warm and whimsical way.
The performance is based around having to go into the witness protection scheme after a failed honey scam, and he asks of us, what would life be like if we could just restart it, like a level of tetris. Taking us through such topics as the British empire, and the ever topical Brexit, Acaster weaves these disconnected thought processes with hilarious pay-off.
His clever metaphors with added whimsy make the time fly by, and the very bizarre dance sequence at the end of the first half had me giggling right into the interval. Even more hilarious was his interaction with the audience, and his natural humour shining through those unscripted moments - the mark of a great comedian in my eyes.
Acaster begins his 'Trelogy' tour in February, which includes his 'Recognise', 'Represent' and 'Reset' shows. Three different performances in each venue from this wonderful comic? Count me in.
Reviewer: Poppy Stewart
Reviewed on: 27th November 2016
North West End Rating: ★★★★
