To say that
A euphoric hour of pure comedy risk-taking that leaves you with an infectious energy long after the show has finished.
The night ranged from the beautifully crafted to the utterly ridiculous. Josie Long kicked the night off by offering up the contents of her own rucksack to the crowd in a set that shone for its simplicity; topics moving seamlessly from the genuine emotion of a near-death experience to a pure silly impression of someone thinking about what to have for dinner. From Tom Allen who told a story about a shoe shop interspersed with singing in the style of a man whose very thoughts have been remixed, to Simon Munnery performing a perplexing and so-funny-it-hurt ditty about Putin with delightful physicality, the evening is one of pure hysterical joy, unburdened by gag rates but providing belly laughs all the same.
Inventive and imaginative, the comedy isn’t so much performed as it is created in the room. A stunning set from Tim Fitzhigham, a man with the appearance of a rock and roll Robinson Crusoe, was entirely in semaphore – the audience had to shout out guesses as to what the movements might mean, building the jokes from the ground up. The night is as varied as you’re likely to find, from the utterly left field – including an act with a plastic doll that toed the line between horrifying and hilarious, to the sweetly simple – Tom Bell’s love song depicting water droplets in a kettle. The Alternative Comedy Memorial Society provides a euphoric hour of pure comedy risk-taking that leaves you with an infectious energy long after the show has finished.
