A couple of years ago, the Daily Telegraph’s longstanding comedy correspondent reviewed Stewart Lee’s then touring show, Much A-Stew About Nothing. Or rather, he reviewed the first half because, boasting rather too gleefully, he walked out at the interval due to Lee’s perceived bad attitude towards his audience. If they were handing out prizes for The Person Who Should Probably Know Better Yet Totally Missed The Point in 2013, we’d have a very clear winner.
Were he attending A Room With A Stew, chances are he would have bolted after five minutes. Somehow an experienced comedy critic failed to note that his anti-audience running gag is a fairly natural by-product of the detached snooty intellectual persona that creeps in and out of Lee’s stage act. Happily for the crowd, his new show (more try-outs for the next series of his BAFTA-winning Comedy Vehicle) is absolutely packed with laughs as that persona rails and jibes and mocks everything from English nationalism to urine and the ‘polo-necked’ Dapper Laughs to, yes, the inadequacies inherent in his crowd as we all work towards making the night a success.
One of his central points in the show is that the news agenda has never been so impossible to pin down, so that any actual intention he may have had to display ironic Islamophobia on stage had been shot to pieces by the ever-changing events of the last year. Instead, he pillories those who think that observational humour and perceptive analyses of fundamentalism go easily hand-in-hand.
Those who love Stewart Lee’s deconstruction of both his act and the very nature of stand-up will revel in another prime example of this, while his critics (and friends of fans who came along, only to be bored to death) will have left feeling at best perplexed, and at worst, irritated beyond words.
Reviewed at Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, Sun 15 Mar. A Room With A Stew is on tour until 8 Jan, 2016
Anon, westhamonline.com
Anon, westhamonline.com
Wharto15, Twitter
Wharto15, Twitter
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
Peter Fears, Twitter
Peter Fears, Twitter
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Z-factor, Twitter.
Z-factor, Twitter.
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Fowkes81, Twitter
Fowkes81, Twitter
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Peter Ould, Youtube
Peter Ould, Youtube
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Guest1001, Youtube
Guest1001, Youtube
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Keilloh, Twitter
Keilloh, Twitter
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Peter Ould, Twitter
Peter Ould, Twitter
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Tokyofist, Youtube
Tokyofist, Youtube
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Sidsings000, Youtube
Sidsings000, Youtube
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Shit Crit, Twitter
Shit Crit, Twitter
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Len Firewood, Twitter
Len Firewood, Twitter
Kozzy06, Youtube
Kozzy06, Youtube
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Tres Ryan, Twitter
A D Ward, Twitter
A D Ward, Twitter
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Leach Juice, Twitter
Leach Juice, Twitter
Borathigh5, Youtube
Borathigh5, Youtube
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Jamespearse, Twitter
Jamespearse, Twitter
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Etienne, Chortle.com
Etienne, Chortle.com
Mpf1947, Youtube
Mpf1947, Youtube
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Funday’schild, youtube.
Funday’schild, youtube.
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Brighton Argus
Brighton Argus
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Pnethor, pne-online.com
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
GRTak, finalgear.com
GRTak, finalgear.com
Hiewy, Youtube
Hiewy, Youtube
Meninblack, Twitter
Meninblack, Twitter
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
Pudabaya, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
John Robins, Comedian
John Robins, Comedian
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Jackmumf, Twitter
Jackmumf, Twitter
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Rudeness, Youtube
Rudeness, Youtube
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
FBC, finalgear.com
FBC, finalgear.com
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Bosco239, youtube
Bosco239, youtube
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Mearecate, Youtube
Mearecate, Youtube
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Tin Frog, Twitter
Tin Frog, Twitter
Anamatronix, Youtube
Anamatronix, Youtube
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Al Murray, Comedian
Al Murray, Comedian
Richard Herring, Comedian
Richard Herring, Comedian
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
World Without End, Twitter
World Without End, Twitter
Danazawa, Youtube
Danazawa, Youtube
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Idrie, Youtube
Idrie, Youtube
Visualiser1, Twitter
Visualiser1, Twitter
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Joycey, readytogo.net
Joycey, readytogo.net
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
98rosjon, Twitter
98rosjon, Twitter
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Stuart, Chortle
Stuart, Chortle
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Chez, Chortle.com
Chez, Chortle.com
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com