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Much A-Stew About NothingMuch A-Stew About Nothing – Leicester Square Theatre ★★★★

By Sharon Lougher in The Metro Posted on Friday, November 8th, 2013

How many stars to give Stewart Lee?

‘Whatever you decide, dock one off,’ he says teasingly to the critics in the room, ‘this is only going to get worse.’

Of course, you can ignore that: Lee remains one of the best stand-ups in the country and he knows it, which is why, even though he is technically branding this a ‘work in progress’ – you get three out of a potential six half-hour routines in preparation for his next stand-up series on BBC2 – he remains in polished, energising form.

Part of the thrill of seeing Lee – beyond his usual biting lines, fourth wall-breaking deconstruction of his own sets and shrewd micromanagement of his audience – is seeing how he switches between genuine sincerity and absurd parody in a heartbeat.

In that regard, there’s much to relish in his unforgettable routine about Ukip deputy leader Paul Nuttall, as he applies Nuttall’s logic on the subject of the possible influx of Bulgarians into Britain (to précis: ‘The most qualified ones would be better off staying and helping Bulgaria, rather than serving tea and coffee here’) to the history of evolution.

Elsewhere, he describes the 1980s in two sentences, offers up a hilariously vivid gag involving Ben Fogle’s attic as part of an explanation of satire, and has a boozy, emasculating, existential crisis, the only chunk that veers us away from politics.

So there we have it. Get tickets now if you want to get in before Christmas – then add on your own star accordingly.

Written by Sharon Lougher in The Metro on 8th November 2013. Filed Under: Much A Stew About Nothing, Reviews
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