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:: Sunday, October 15, 2006 ::

Gig Review: The Secret Policeman's Ball, Royal Albert Hall, 14.10.06

I feel honoured and humbled to be in attendance at one of these legendary events. I've never seen so many beautiful people in one place. I'm not referring to physical beauty but to, um, inner beauty, or something similarly hippyish. Looking around the six thousand people here I can't see anyone who I would imagine would irritate me if I were to speak to them. There is a brilliantly balanced atmosphere of having fun whilst standing together to protect human rights at the same time.

In this atmosphere of jovial humanitarian good will ropiest of performances are forgiven, as we all laugh at forgotten lines and piss poor old jokes in under-rehearsed hastily written sketches. Richard E. Grant in particular seems to have no idea what's going on around him, and Graham Norton has been asked to deliver smut that is even making him cringe.

The best performances, for me, came from The Mighty Boosh (Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt) with their brilliant piece of intense period soviet theatre, then ending perfectly with Barratt falling off the stage. Julia Davis' and Jessica Stevenson's country duet about domestic violence, Don't Turn The Light On, showed two brilliant comic actors on form (well, the singing was hilarious) and provided an earworm as well as an important message and predictably filth. Ronni Ancona and Jon Culshaw provide a nicely put together impression piece. Al Murray as The Pub Landlord is good and thinks on his feet well, but relies a little too much on picking on the audience for my liking.

Musically I found both The Zutons and The Magic Numbers (feat. Martha Wainwright) very dull, but Natalie Imbruglia cameo appearance was hilarious. There was also good stand up from Dylan Moran, Andy Murray (I think), Russel Brand, and Sarah Silverman. Eddie Izzard is still just being Eddie Izzard. I used to love his stand-up, and it's difficult not to like him, but it is wearing a little thin now. Maybe he'd benefit from trying to be more topical and not relying so heavily on getting laughs simply by mentioning bees or jam. Doing observational comedy about flies not being able to find their way out of a window is just plain lazy.

Jeremy Irons puts the message across at the end, showing how ordinary peoples human rights are invaded around the world and how a movement of ordinary people can stop it.

:: Dan 15.10.06 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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