I've always liked Frank Skinner. His quick-witted, easy-going blokiness was always something I always felt comfortable with. He liked football, women, seemed non-threatening, had a great line in smut and innuendo, and always seemed pretty self-deprecating and self-aware. What's not to like?
So when the Missus bought me tickets to see his new live show, Man in a Suit, I was pretty excited. This was the first time he'd toured in seven years so my expectation level was pretty high.
And Skinner's 90-minute set was perfectly good. It covered stories about his relationship with his girlfriend, stories from his days of 'playing the field', and musings on various other topics, including the trial of Max Clifford and even a few lines on the current state of British comedy.
And, much as I constantly laughed and there were plenty of good lines included, it just didn't feel like a complete piece. It felt like lots of little 10-minute routines pieced together, a sort of comedy memoir with some topical bits thrown in.
Skinner the performer was excellent and it's impossible not to warm to him because he is funny, engaging and very skilled. But the material didn't feel as good as the man doing it and whole package wasn't quite as good as I was hoping.
Maybe my expectations were too high, or maybe telly fame has slightly dulled his edge when it comes to polishing his stand-up material. Who knows? The truth probably lies somewhere in-between...
No comments:
Post a Comment