Review by: Paul Towers, 11 February 2018
Graduation Day 2018
Dan Nicholas with Matt West, Kevin Hudson, Sarah Davis,
Martin England & Matt Holmes with headliner Tom Houghton
Upstairs @ The Western, 11 February 2018
“2018 Graduation Day.”
For logistical reasons there were no Comedy Workshops in
2017 but they are hoping to resume them this year. So, as part of the Leicester
Comedy Festival and for the 2018 Graduation Day gig three acts from the class
of 2016/17 returned along with a distant voice from the 2015/16 term and two new
faces to make up the evening, along with a headliner.
Dan Nicholas, as always, compered the evening with aplomb
and warmed the audience up for the night ahead.
First on stage was firm favourite Sarah Davis with a beautifully
scripted routine about valentine’s day and elderly cyclists (not specifically
connected but, hearing of her luck, maybe).
Next up was mortgage advisor Matt West who, after failing to
interest anyone with a low interest mortgage gave us chapter and verse on his
recent marriage
New face Martin England filled us in on the perils of being
only 5’4” and various rambling tales of his life.
After an interval we were back with Kevin Hudson, the Terry
Pratchett lookalike whose sharp routines about turning into a grumpy old man
and being a technophobe chimed with many in the audience. Since his debut last
year he has scripted some great stories that culminated in groan-worthy puns.
As per last year Kevin’s Pratchett clone was followed by
Gavin Pilchard, aka Death, with his tried and tested routine railing against
working long hours and a demanding wife.
Finally we had a headline act in the shape of Tom Houghton,
a very assured young stand up who is like the James Blunt of comedy. Tales of
boarding school, being an army child and the only straight boy on his drama
course had the audience roaring.
Daniel Nicholas is at The Exchange on 13th February
and at The Attenborough Centre on the 14th. Details can be found at www.danielnicholas.co.uk
Kevin Hudson can be seen at Soft Touch Arts on 17th
February.
Upstairs at The Western http://upstairsatthewestern.com/
First published on Western Gazette
First published on Western Gazette
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