This review originally appeared on the Leicester Comedy festival website here.
Matthew Crosby and Tom Parry form two thirds of sketch group Pappys. Their stand-up is driven by the same unabashed quest for fun that characterises their sketch shows. The two each performed half an hour of stand-up at The Cookie on Day One of the festival: February 4th 2015.
Matthew Crosby’s amusing observations on beards and iPhones rang true with the hipsters peppered throughout the room. Despite the subjects being fairly well worn, Crosby’s jokes were fresh, original and had an enjoyably energetic delivery. Crosby got round the fact that iPhone jokes were nothing new by pretending that they were a brilliant new product he was introducing us to which, strangely, lead to the funniest pronunciation of ‘Kaiser Chiefs’ I have ever heard. He also discussed his marriage, which he claimed went down a lot better than at De Montfort University an hour earlier where he’d ‘walked on stage in a room full of 18 year olds and asked if anyone else was married.’ With modern relationship routines tending to veer between the laddy antics and social awkwardness of younger stand-ups, Crosby’s observations on being happily married were a welcome and amusing relief. His friendly and relatable stage persona was noticeably cheerier than the straight man he tends to play in Pappys. Crosby ended with a routine which perfectly fused his stand-up and sketch work in a surreal and surprisingly accomplished piece of ventriloquism.
Before Tom Parry came on stage, we were treated to an introduction from Kelly of the Stereophonics; i.e. Parry wearing a rugby top and adopting a welsh accent which was regularly readjusted with the help of his welsh buzz word ‘Guatemala’. This served as an apt introduction to Parry’s brilliantly bizarre act.
Parry’s DIY bombast put me in mind of Nick Helm, but it was fuelled by a benevolent sense of fun rather than Helm’s angry bitterness. Parry’s approach to stand-up is more akin to his sketch antics than Crosby’s; the Kelly from the Stereophonics introduction was followed by Parry orchestrating his own standing ovation. In the first run through an audience member was asked to kiss Matthew on the head in joy, then a man a few rows back invaded the stage to grab Tom in a sheepish embrace, next the couple on the front row simultaneously proposed to each other, and so on until the perfect ‘S.O.’ was created. Now that the ending of the show was sorted, Parry addressed the start.
Parry is such an engaging performer that I doubt he could stand behind a microphone for more than five minutes without imploding. He took an unconventional approach to his work-in-progress, handing out his notes to various audience members to prompt him with ‘thoughts’, ‘plot’ and ‘jokes’. The thoughts were idiosyncratically obscure. They didn’t have the universal ring of truth that observational comedy usually aims for, but they were far funnier for the fact that Parry was amazed they didn’t. For example, the phrase ‘pleasure treasure’ was completely alien to the audience. The jokes were also funnier for Parry’s undying enthusiasm. He was proud of them no matter what the response they got, without ever being arrogant or egotistical. The plot points focus around fancy dress and Parry’s belief that it is a force for good. Parry discussed the structure throughout the show, sometimes explaining how the fancy dress bits would fit in and unite the material. This wasn’t deconstructive, meta-comedy, it made the audience feel like they were helping to workshop Parry’s act. This inclusive atmosphere made for a friendly show which brought audience and performers together in an evening which everyone couldn’t help but enjoy.
In the hands of a lesser performer, this shambolic approach would have resulted in a stumbling, incoherent mess of a show. Parry’s energy and the sheer infectious fun he was having in playing meant that, despite its contrived nature, he fully deserved the standing ovation he received at the end.
Overall, the gig was a perfect balance of many things. Crosby and Parry are well known enough that there is a strange thrill to seeing them in the flesh, but are modest enough to be at the door to greet you when you arrive. Crosby’s slightly more conventional style, while hilarious in its own right, prepared the audience for Parry’s whirlwind of fun. The show had enough structure to glimpse the excellent stand-up shows it will become, but ramshackle enough to make it riotously unpredictable. A great start to Dave’s Leicester Comedy Festival 2015.