Chris Henry is a frantic comic. He bounces around the stage like pinball that’s taken a lot of MDMA. Occasionally he giggles manically before launching into his next comedy rant or tale of ineptitude and judgmental friends. However, I’m aware that I’m judging him by his appearance and this is what his show is all about. Henry has been judged his whole life for the decisions he’s made and the way he currently lives his life but he’s not bitter. In fact, Henry wants us to understand him intimately and isn’t afraid to share. He’s bloody likeable and, although some of his show feels like spoken word rather than stand up, it’s undeniably entertaining and the audience warms to his buzzy banter.
Henry loves his life and hopes that you find the way to love yours too. As long as we let him keep being the centre of attention.
Sharing stories of broken hearts and dreams, disappointing parents and compromising webcam chats alongside some blunt admissions of what keeps him so perky, Henry is a true performer. His material flits around and he’s not afraid to ‘go there’ but Henry never punches down because you get the impression that he just wants everyone to get along.
It’s standing room only in the large space at the Three Sisters and Henry regularly engages the crowd with questions and requests to reenforce his opinions of the awesomeness of being single, childless and doing a job you love. Some of his statements on parenting elicit groans of recognition from the proper grown-ups in the room but Henry takes this as suitable validation of his stance that parenthood isn’t for him.
It takes a brave comedian to stand on stage and tell the majority of the audience how much better your life is than theirs but it’s done it with a boyish enthusiasm that never comes off as arrogance. Henry loves his life and hopes that you find the way to love yours too. As long as we let him keep being the centre of attention.
