Having heard a lot about this show, I did have certain expectations, but what I witnessed was not at all what I had expected. The show is a mockery of the modern ‘guru’ - someone supposed to be able to help change your life for the better. Here, we have our sex guru Paul, and his two assistants, guide us through the first twenty minutes or so of the show with the best of impersonations of the American-style New Ager – full of the kind of self-assured, bland platitudes, mindless, happy attitudes and boundless energy usually reserved for children on major sugar overload.
So far so good, but then, all of a sudden, the twilight zone descends and you are sunk into the oddest form of ‘shock-therapy’ comedy. You know, the one where basically if you’re heavily ‘controversial’ enough then you’ll be humourous. Of course, in the normal course of events, there’s nothing wrong with shocking people into laughing.
When you shock people into a slightly dazed and disturbed state, it should be while they’re watching Twin Peaks. You may enjoy it, but it’s not what you either wanted or expected when going to a comedy show. An atmosphere of general tension and disease pervaded the venue for the remainder of the act and you had that horrible discomforting feeling you always get while watching other people’s embarrassment. Comedy is supposed to entertain you, not scare you witless.
1/5
Brid-Aine Conway
