Sabotage has to have landed itself one of the coolest comedy venues in London. Held in a Masonic temple located in the five-star Andaz Hotel, the circular room is set up with rows of chairs in the middle and mahogany throne-seats set into the surrounding walls.
The venue was packed; I had reluctantly settled in the front row but quickly realised this was a better alternative to standing on the stairs or sitting behind the comedians on a throne. It might have because the headline act was Stewart Lee, a huge cult favourite on the circuit who, for some bizarre reason, is less renowned in the world of comedy than Jim Davidson. It seems however that this is always a popular night, as when our compere Mark Talbot jumped energetically on stage, asking who had been to a Sabotage night before, I found myself to be in the minority. The host kept things running smoothly all night and knew when to stop and have some banter with the audience (at the beginning of the first and second sections) and when to skip to the chase (introducing Lee in the third section).
The smaller, supporting acts were an unexpected pleasure. Luke Wright, a young poet was up first and was one of the most impressive acts of the night. Not only did he manage to recite witty, irreverent poems with energy, perfect rhythm and emphasis but in between, he had a good stand-up routine going, which was funny and poignant at the same time. When telling a story about how his friend asked him to read the eulogy at his father's funeral, he spoke about how touched he was to be asked and then remarked: “So I headlined the funeral. Well that’s a bit arrogant – I was last and I got paid the most.” His poems are engaging enough when you read them on his website but even better heard live on stage. He was a confident yet unpretentious performer, and I felt awestruck watching such talent.
Wright was a tough act to follow but relative newcomer Mike O'Donovan did a good job. He was refreshingly soft-spoken for an Australian comic although he hadn't lost the signature dark sense of humour. What sounded like an introduction to a boring joke was in fact comedy gold: “Can I tell you my dream? I know, it is boring when people at work tell you their dreams...maybe that's why Martin Luther King got shot.” Another highlight was: “So it's been two weeks, I've decided the Josef Fritzl story is officially funny. I can't believe how he tried to defend himself, but to be fair to him he said he wanted to protect his kids and you can understand that; there are a lot of freaks out there.”
Alastair Barrie and Paul Sinha were in the second section and although they might be more established acts, I enjoyed the first section more. Barrie, who shares similar mannerisms with Rory Brenmer, started off on the wrong foot by comparing an audience member to Shrek – never a good move when the man in question has previously endeared himself to the crowd with a tattoo on his arm containing the last two lines of Keats' Ode On A Grecian Urn. He backtracked however and managed to win over the audience with some topical dry humour after an initial hostile vibe. Paul Sinha's set, based on his life as the 'only gay, Indian doctor in the village' was very funny. The only fault I found with it was that he has been performing this exact set now for over a year and while it is understandable that comedians need to fall back on their best material occasionally, it has to be interspersed with new stuff or it gets very dated. That said, if you're not a regular comedy punter, and a lot of people do just like to go to a night here and there, it's unlikely this will be an issue.
Not wanting to get too entrenched in hyperbole describing Stewart Lee, I will keep it to a bare minimum. GO AND SEE HIM, if you haven't already. His comic timing is second to none and he managed to base almost his entire set on two key jokes. He is a genius and quite the most amusing and gifted comedian I have ever seen do stand-up. A grand finale indeed to a memorable night.
Click here to view all London Open Mic events
Click here to view all London Comedy events
Click here to view all London Events
Add an event
Frieze Art Fair to launch new section for young galleries in 2012
Frieze have today announced details for the 2012 edition, their tenth art fair in London. Taking place...