99 Club Leicester Square

28 January, 2009
by: Emma

The words 'alternative' and 'non-mainstream' aren't often bandied around when talking about big comedy clubs but the 99 Club has always strived to provide variety and now it is branching out even further. It now has a comedy show on every day of the week, held in six different venues across the West End and Islington. Not only that but each one has its own style. You can choose what kind of comedy you want to watch from sketch acts to extended sets to big headline stand-up, and venues range from intimate pubs to large capacity nightclubs.

James Woroniecki, owner of the 99 Club, says that while there are several different venues and a weekly schedule, he wants to avoid the 'stag party' crowds that other mainstay comedy venues attract, namely by not allowing them in. It sounds like a win/win situation for all involved: we get to choose what kind of comedy we want to see and where we see it. The comedians get a friendly and receptive environment.

Last night was the launch of new 99 weeknights at Storm, their flagship Leicester Square venue, and it was a perfect example of the kind of diversity and quality the club attracts. Hosting the evening is Iranian comic Shappi Khorsandi, one of the best female comperes I've seen yet. She ticks all the usual boxes of blending good audience banter (teasing not offending) with her own very witty material: "I read the Daily Mail", she tells us. "Don't judge me. I like it because it doesn't give you inky fingers. If anything it turns them white." Lively anecdotes and jokes are also strengthened by dry endings. She finishes an impression of her 'gangsta' sister: "Don't tell anyone I'm here yeah, cuz people are lookin' for me, yeah?" with the quip - "Yeah, the Brixton Library."

The only non-resident on this evening and the first act of the night is Nick Revell. A comedy veteran with several books, TV writing credits and radio shows to his name, Revell shows no sign of decline on the stand-up circuit either. He delivers mainly observational material including one story about skunk and it's effect on 'the munchies': "I can't smoke that strong stuff the kids are smoking nowadays. I'm too paranoid to even open the fridge." Garden-variety stuff on British BBQs aside, there is some very smart and most importantly, funny material here.

I have seen Pippa Evans before and thought she was brilliant but now I think she's utterly brilliant. Perhaps it was because she was doing her most popular character as singer/songwriter Loretta Maine but either way her deadpan, apathetic act and even her singing voice are incredibly impressive. Songs about ex-lovers are darkly comic and her chat to the audience in between, with some deliciously wry one-liners is a great personification of the downbeat musician. As one of the best character acts around, it's great news she's been taken on as a regular resident.

Headline act is Paul Foot who has appeared at the 99 Club a whopping 500 times and is a resident at three of the West End shows. The marmite-coated nut of the comedy world, Foot is a rather loopy dandy that you will either love or hate. I've seen clips of him on YouTube I've loved. But this time his never-ending story involving a woman obsessed with watermelon-shaped objects does my head in and it's a welcome relief when the set ends. There were however, several people cackling hysterically in the audience, so he is definitely some people's cup of tea.

All in all, a cracking start to the full-time 99 format and a healthy mixture of character, stand-up and alternative comedy. Jongleurs and the Comedy Store - beware, there is a big club out there catering for a more discerning audience.

Click here to see all 99 shows in the coming weeks.

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