Electric Mouse Comedy Club
The Kings Head Theatre
Reviewed by: Sarah Brown
Reviewed by: Sarah Brown
Sunday night at the Kings Head saw the kind of crowd every comedian must dream of. A host of 20 and 30 something Islingtonians, pleasantly tipsy and determined to have a good time. It was, hence, some achievement on the part of MC James Mullinger that the only laughs he drew from this affable group were nervous ones. However, being a positive kind of person I’ll dwell on the other three acts who were GREAT.
First was the honey-voiced Padraig Hyland, who presented his charming, conversational act as if he was talking to a mate in the pub. Bemoaning the terrible weather, his opening gambit was ‘Make some noise if you’re a sun worshipper’, when this drew the inevitable roar, he stated, after a suitably dramatic pause, ‘I’m a Catholic
meself’. Hyland didn’t talk about anything spectacular, but his tale of his flat with no furniture (‘The contract said unfurnished and I’m not one to break the rules’) ensured that by the end of the set he really was talking to his mates in the pub. Kiwi Jarred Christmas was next up, resplendent in massive sideburns and a bright red shirt. Jarred’s (I can’t bring myself to call him Chrismas) self deprecatory style and the playing of the foreigner card was an instant hit. ‘Superdrug,’ he said, ‘What a disappointment that turned out to be’. His enthusiasm was such that the audience were soon cheering him on. He also played to the female contingent with his line ‘No man wants a woman who’s so thin she can shop in Gap for Kids. I want a woman who eats cheeseburgers and can stick up for me in a fight.’ Go Jarred!
And last but not least, the hilarious Lucy Porter. The kind of girl you could go out and drink Pinot Grigio with. Her wide-eyed innocent look meant she got away with saying things that would seem vulgar from anyone else, but from her just sounded a bit naughty. A room full of North Londoners (and one unfortunate from Elephant and Castle) applauded her praise for the ‘posh’ north. She overheard two white lads in hoodies speaking ‘Jafakin’, one saying, ‘Sebastian, he my bred’rin but he’s well out of order cos I caught him smokin’ my weed in the conservatory’.
Porter’s stream of consciousness act meandered from one subject to another without her even seeming to pause for breath. Her description of the humiliation of having a spray tan (and being asked to lift her buttocks by the 18-year-old beautician) had the audience weeping with laughter as did the tale of her exit from the beauty salon. ‘A tramp shouted at me ‘Paki’ and I know it’s awful but I thought, that’s 20 quid well spent.’ Time prevented her from finishing her quiz on ‘love and hate’ but she promised to continue it in the bar. Bet she did as well. Lucy was trailing the show she's taking to the Edinburgh Festival so anyone heading north should definitely put the date in their diaries. Lucy's matey banter with the audience should go down a storm. Check her out for a evening of friendliness, laughter and positive thinking!
The Electric Mouse Comedy Club runs once a month on a sunday at the Kings Head http://www.kingsheadtheatre.org, The Electric Mouse Comedy Club also runs similar nights up and down the country visit http://www.electricmousecomedy.com for more information
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