Defying convention is a tricky business. It obviously can go one of two ways: you either are considered so radical and refreshing that everyone follows you or you fall on your arse and die. Unfortunately for Andy Zaltzman he falls into the second category.
On the surface his act is wrong in so many ways – he doesn’t look like a comedian, he doesn’t act like a comedian and he doesn”t tell jokes like a comedian. In fact, Zaltzman has made a bit of a name for himself by not telling jokes – his “Queen Victoria walks into a pub” tale being a fine example – and this is fine for a fifteen minute slot at The Free Beer Show, but tends to become tire-some when stretch over an hour.
It can”t be said that Zaltzman and his Catapult of Truth aren”t funny, some bits are true comic genius, but the overall show is sloppy. The free flow feel of the show puts many off and this is largely down to Zaltzman’s choice of delivery. Opting for the rapid fire, stream of consciousness route definitely keeps things lively, but jokes quickly meld into one and it soon becomes apparent that Zaltzman’s haste is hiding the lull in laughs.
There is no doubt that Zaltzman has the ability to be very funny, but he needs to do a lot of work before the Catapult of Truth starts firing on target.
3/5
Richard Biggs
