Rob Brydon: Colston Hall

Thursday 26th November 2009

This is a Crackerjack review of Rob Brydon: Colston Hall. Do you agree? Rate and review this event.

Crackerjack rating: 7 / 10.

If you've won the crowd over before even setting foot on stage, then half the battle's done.

There was clearly a lot of love in the room for Rob Brydon - a relative newcomer to the world of stand-up comedy at this sold-out Colston Hall show thanks to his roles as perennial underdog and cab driver Keith Barret in Marion and Geoff and latterly the awkward uncle Bryn West in Gavin and Stacey.

But writing and starring in successful sit-coms doesn't necessarily mean you can cut it in the world of stand-up. Look behind the hoopla and box office records talk of Ricky Gervais and you'll see he's better on the small screen in character than he is on a lonely stage with just a microphone stand for company.

Brydon's not the finished article by any means either but his good-natured charm has certainly given him a head start.

With a quickfire wit honed on countless panel games over the past few years, he's adept at bantering with the crowd. In fact, he used it here to pad out a set which was a little thin on material overall.

An opening routine about becoming a father for the fourth time showcased his writer's eye for detail and there's no doubt that his comic timing is spot on. Elsewhere, there were some nice reflections on the differences between the English and Welsh, and less predictably, why women never answer their mobile phones.

Asking for subjects on which to improvise, when one of the many Welsh audience members yelled out Bridgend, theyre met with the blackly humourous reply of youre not standing near the balcony are you?. In many other comedians hands that may have been a bit too edgy for such a family-friendly stand-up, but Brydon got away with it.

Hes keen to get as many of his impersonations in as possible including his stand-bys of Ronnie Corbett, Bruce Forsyth and, of course, Tom Jones. Best of the lot though was a riff on Michael Caine through the ages, where his youthful Cockney chirpiness slowly morphed into a sleepy whisper after years of chewing on cigars.

Brydon was keen to get the crowd involved in the show throughout. In some places it was inspired, including picking on one unsuspecting member and turning him into a comedy Bond villain.

Elsewhere, it fell a little flat such as when the crowd was urged to shout at one woman whod nipped off for a toilet break. In a comedy club, he'd be excused for little self-indulgences like that. In front of 2,000 people though you'd expect him to come up with something more considered.

Much like watching his TV appearances, you leave with a warm, fuzzy feeling. Theres no doubt Brydons got the potential to be a great stand-up - a bit more material next time out and a little less filler and hell be home and dry.

Steve Harnell

This is a Crackerjack review of Rob Brydon: Colston Hall. Do you agree? Rate and review this event.