Comedy / Reviews
Review: Chris Martin, Comedy Box
This weekend saw The Comedy Box warming up a November evening with a well-balanced evening of laughter from three confident comedians.
No-one was more surprised than compere Michael Fabbri to find he’d offended half the audience in his opening sequence, so it was a contrite comic that came on to the stage for the second half. But, with his material covering bleeding deer and the trauma of childbirth, it’s no wonder that Fabbri’s material was somewhat polarising, and he did better on safer ground after the interval.
In a curious twist, Fabbri’s ex is also Sean McLaughlin’s ex, and the split formed part of the fuel for McLoughlin’s quickfire script. In a clever routine themed on cowardliness and vulnerability, McLoughlin embraced comedy’s no-go zones: erectile dysfunction, terrorism and Islam. There were also some witty one-liners, memorably an imagined exchange with older lover Ethel in the supermarket. Despite the angry delivery, McLoughlin’s act had real depth with some serious points to be made about death and bravery.
Headliner and self-styled ‘nice guy’ Chris Martin expounded wise observations about life as a newly married man. We heard about his trip to a strip club with his wife; the thrill of being a technology hero to his new in-laws; and scaring his wife in the dark. He engaged the audience well, although a couple of interruptions were dealt with heavy-handedly.
Martin is a confident storyteller and there were funny milestones along the way, but the climax of each story needed a little more punch. The short linking quips, on the other hand, were genuinely laugh-out-loud moments, lending pace to the routine.
Tonight proved that, even in the busy pre-festive run-up, The Comedy Box can attract the cream of the comedy crop.
Chris Martin, Sean McLoughlin and Michael Fabbri played the Comedy Box at the Hen & Chicken on Saturday, November 26. For more Comedy Box lineups, visit www.thecomedybox.co.uk and our own comedy listings at www.bristol247.com/channel/whats-on/comedy
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