Miles Jupp: Everyday Rage and Dinner Party Chit Chat
The Etcetera is advertised as the capital's smallest theatre and it certainly is tiny – held in a small function room above the Oxford Arms pub on Camden High Street, it probably seats no more than 50 and could do with a fresh lick of paint, but it has an intimate, cosy atmosphere and you can bring your drinks in with you. It has become well known on the Fringe for supporting versatile new writing and in the past has put on some impressive productions like Alan Bennett's Kafka's Dick, and Blue Jam, the live version of the brilliant radio show, created by comedy genius Chris Morris.
Looking at the Etcetera's history and the title of Miles Jupp's show, I expect something good and I'm not disappointed. Jupp is famous for playing the upper-class Archie in children's TV show Balamory, but is also a comedian in his own right. He was nominated for the Perrier Best Newcomer Award at the Edinburgh Fringe 2003, for his show Gentlemen Prefer Brogues as well as winning the 'So You Think You're Funny?' competition 2001 and the Leicester Festival Comedian of The Year Award 2001. This is his third solo act, and is based on anecdotes and musings ranging from his 'Intermittent Rage Disorder' (where the red mist quickly descends and then leaves) to embarrassing episodes over the course of his life.
Dressed in a smart, navy suit and the infamous brown brogues, he tells colourful tales from his past peppered with sharp and self-effacing jokes. He speaks for an hour and I could have listened for two. None of his stories are ground-breaking revelations, some I think many people will have experienced themselves and his jokes don't induce tears of laughter or chest pains, but he speaks very eloquently, painting a vivid picture of the varying amusing situations he has found himself in and inducing a constant stream of giggles from the audience throughout, no mean feat for an hour-long speech with no breaks.
He can clearly handle improv too, even though his show isn't the kind that involves much audience participation. As Jupp talks about how unfriendly Brits are to Scots, someone shouts out they are from Glasgow and he responds with a joke about the Glaswegian Monopoly and its numerous 'Go To Jail' spaces.
He paints a good caricature of himself , ranging from someone who needs rules and is furious to find himself being 'ghosted' in a Laser Quest game, to being scared by aggressive football chants on the train: "I thought: someone has to do something, but clearly not me as I’m in the middle of a perfectly good book..." His stories about flying into brief fits of rage you can wholly identify with and are yet funnier than any similar situation you may have been in. A particularly good story involves him missing a flight due to a late connection, losing his rag with Easyjet staff and smashing his hand luggage into their stand, only to find he has to check into the same place for his next flight. Another rage is focused on some Leicester council members heckling one of his shows with some very embarassing consequences.
The evening ends with a few quick-fire cheese-based puns where the audience are encouraged to shout out answers e.g: "What do you call a Soviet gathering in an East Midland city? – Red Leicester." This for me is the perfect amount of participation and doesn't involve the piss being taken out of my job/clothes/place of dwelling. I really enjoyed and liked Miles Jupp, he has a very endearing and earnest quality to his comedy not to mention being very well-spoken, and not just in the posh sense. If you get the chance, go and see him. Just keep your heckling in check.
