When you go to see a stand up comedy show, it does not bode well when you are directed upon arrival to “fill up the front row”. But the audience should be pleased to find out that Jason Manford is a nice comedian. No horrid jibes, no cringe-worthy comments, just good, clever observational comedy. His wit is fun and good humoured rather than cruel and embarrassing.
Jason Manford, in broad Manchurian tones, takes to the stage from his “Green Room”, which he informs is nothing more than a black curtain that he has to hide behind for 15 minutes. This, combined with the fact that he has brought a packet of tissues on stage for his cold, adds to his “boy next door” appeal. From his jokes, stories and audience banter you would be forgiven for thinking you are in the pub rather than in a barn turned theatre that is the Pleasance Courtyard Two. He provide us with a good mix of material from football to crime, driving tests to the lottery, and anyone who can cover “The Flight of the Navigator”, Stickle Bricks and dead legs in his show deserves a second look!
The best way to sum up Jason Manford would be as Peter Kay’s (slighty slimmer) younger brother, with the same promise shown prior to Kay’s “Pheonix Nights”. Perhaps lacking in any more challenging material, he keeps largely on the safe side, yet this technique doesn’t disappoint and in fact guarantees laughs from across the festival going spectrum.
4/5
Libby Pollock
