The Royal Vauxhall Tavern is a pub specifically designed for entertainment - the room is a circular shape and all the tables and chairs face a stage at one end. There are banquettes at the back with fur cushions which about 10 of us spread round. The atmosphere at the beginning is a little cold due to the fact there are so few of us and we are nowhere near the front. Because comedy nights are few and far between in August due to the Edinburgh Fringe, you would expect to get bigger crowds at the clubs that are still running. This doesn't always seem to be the case; the RVT is normally a popular venue but it's fairly dead this evening; perhaps anyone who regularly goes to comedy nights is prepared to get their fix up north or wait until September to venture out again when they know the big comedians are back in town.
Our compere Cathy P has an ingenious plan for coaxing us back-rowers to the front. ‘Who will move over to these tables for a free shot of aftershock?' Not the most tempting of beverages it must be said but it has the desired effect; we all begrudgingly move near the stage to get our complimentary treat and the mood lifts immediately. She is an excellent host, bantering easily with the crowd without singling anyone out for ridicule and tells us a bit about being a lesbian without conforming to any gay clichés. That said, one impression she does of a drunk queen clutching a bottle singing 'I am what I am' is hilarious.
The first act, Shelagh Martin, is totally unique, I can't even think of one comedian that is remotely like her. She has lots of short jokes and general musings that are abstract, surreal and unrelated, including: 'Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are…well, the clue is in the previous line' and 'Sometimes I feel paranoid but it's nice to know someone's thinking of me'. Her humour manages to be clever, weird and silly all at the same time. A few go awry but she manages to get the audience on side again with some self-deprecating remarks, reminding us 'that was joke number two' and apologising for not being able to read the scribbles smudged on her forearm. What little audience there is laugh whole-heartedly, if somewhat delayed - her lateral thought pattern takes a while to process.
Following Shelagh is Matt Barnard, a cabaret performer with some nifty tricks including knife-juggling while simultaneously drinking from a pint balanced on his head through a rubber tube. He's not just a physical comedian either – he also has a good sideline in banter. When getting a member of the audience up to help him, he comments on his assistant: 'I think I can see a future for you in the entertainment business Jeff. How do you like sleeping in your car?'
Both acts were refreshingly different to your typical observational comedy and it's good to see the RVT still mixing it up. A bigger audience would have helped but come September that won't be a problem – they have four top comedians performing their fringe shows each week.
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Brou Ha Ha at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern
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