Norman Lovett has been performing his own brand of gentle comedy for 30 years now, and it’s hard to imagine his style having changed much in that time. His comedic touch is on the light side, and leaves the audience wondering for the first ten minutes when the act is actually going to start.
The hour-long set is based around a bag of items which he brings to the stage, and uses as a starting point for anecdotes and set jokes. Unfortunately, the build-up of the time taken to fish each object out of the bag doesn’t equal the payoff when it finally emerges; most of the objects turn out to be carrier bags, or other such debris. The things he finds to say about them are often as bland as the objects themselves, with one or two exceptions – he turns a plastic-shower-cap into a jellyfish, complete with Attenborough-esque commentary, to great effect.
Lovett is at his best when reacting to external stimuli (the act next door is often audible through the walls) or the audience; it’s a shame he feels the need to force himself back into the carrier bag routine after such digressions, as the pre-prepared anecdotes are often weak and forced by comparison.
He says at one point that everyone needs to find the right comedian for them, and it’s true – those who have followed him for years and like his style will be fine; those looking for laugh-out-loud, fast-paced delivery had best look elsewhere.
2/5 
Beth Wilson
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