With a combination of PowerPoint presentation and straight address, Will Smith takes us on a journey through his teenage years and his enduring love for the band Marillion. Indeed the initial footage of the last 20 years is shown as a comparison between world and band events.
After the video explosion Smith ambles on stage and begins his floppy haired story telling. He starts with a little comparison between his own teenage attitudes growing up in the wilds of Jersey and that of teenagers at a school near him in North London. A photo gallery accompanies all of his findings.
This initial idea is entertaining if a little consciously unfair, London versus Jersey? The polite and cerebral world that he inhabited is no comparison to the coarse and visceral world of his local council estate, but he is aware of this and this is where he derives his humour from, in a less acerbic Jimmy Carr-esque fashion.
You get the feeling, though, that Smith would do himself more justice if he were more personal with this opening material as opposed to the stark contrasts he exploits for laughs. Yes I’m fully aware that it is a comedy show, but the path of childhood influence is well-trodden and certainly not unusual on this year’s fringe, so would need to be fashioned as opposed to stood up and left. This said Smith does have a rare world view, I’ve never met a Marillion fan before, I have, however, met music enthusiasts before so the interview set up with Marillion’s front man Fish was expected. As was his being in a band as a youngster and having artistic and personal differences with a rival band, but mainly its lead singer. This is why, for all its thought and time, this show is a bit pedestrian. Smith seems to be playing a caricature of himself and relies too much on technological wizardry to aid his storytelling.
He is personable and engenders a certain affection with his honest intentions but he seems to be overly fraught in his approach. All in all it’s an okay show and there are moments that tickle, however a tickle can be as annoying as it is funny if the giver is trying too hard.
3/5
Peter Rates
