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Much A-Stew About NothingMuch a-Stew About Nothing, Lowry, Salford Quays

By Seb Farrell in The Public Reviews Posted on Saturday, October 5th, 2013

Stewart Lee was described by The Times in 2009 as ‘the comedians comedian, and with good reason.’ He is the man responsible for television delights such as Fist of Fun, Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle and the controversial but brilliant Jerry Springer: The Opera.

As well as that he is also noticeable for being part of the teams who created great comedy characters such as Alan Partridge and The Mighty Boosh.

His reach within the world of British comedy is unquestionable, I have always been a fan from afar but this is my first experience of the 9th ‘Most Influential Person in UK Comedy’ live.

I’m suddenly all too aware of the famous E B White’s quote ‘Analysing humour is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested and the frog dies’ but we plod on.

Lee is incredibly articulate; he starts the show with a typical lowdown of what’s going to happen over the course of the evening then effortlessly begins deconstructing the jokes, narrative and entire set to great effect. The first half (and first joke we’re assured) focuses mainly on satire and is not, in my opinion, his greatest work.

The first half jokes are laboured and other than a great piece about his last date at the Lowry four years ago (giving back a fortune in refunds as a Maltese heckler thought the set was a personal conversation and kept answering back) the act is largely forgettable and I found myself forcing out a laugh or two. The second half is a different story entirely and two sections stand out, the UKIP/Immigration joke is beautifully crafted and delivered taking the current ‘don’t come to our country’ attitude of a particular politician right back through the Neolithic ages to the big bang and beyond. The Latvia stereotype story another wonder of imagination and surrealism. Lee ends with the 45 year old impotent vasectomised married father of two story which has both myself and the rest of the audience in stitches.

Generally the show is very funny but a little hit and miss. I count three genuine belly laughs, several smaller laughs (usually directed at his expert use of language and semantics) and a fairly constant smile, some audience members are in hysteric convulsions others sit bemused.

Lee’s reputation as an anti-populist comedian is well founded, but based on tonight’s show I’d encourage fans to find tickets in smaller venues with more like minded audience members to fully enjoy the Stewart Lee experience.

Now, where’s the needle and thread for this frog?

Written by Seb Farrell in The Public Reviews on 5th October 2013. Filed Under: Much A Stew About Nothing, Reviews
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