Joe Lycett is a naughty little boy. You can see it by the glint in his eye and the walrus on his finger.
By the end of this show, you’re going to simultaneously really like him and also be just slightly afraid of him. (Please don’t send me any letters after reading this review, Joe).
The walrus in question is Joe’s alternate personality and this particular walrus always seems to be leading Joe into a world of trouble. Other people’s trouble.
Some of his funniest jokes revolve around letters he has written people who have, for whatever reason, annoyed him, or, more truthfully, walrus.
These include a completely hilarious exchange with London’s Sun newspaper, another with T-Mobile, as well as a brilliant story about what happens when you go into Emporio Armani with a sausage roll.
He also had a funny kick-off with alternative names for his show, Then You Should’ve Put A Ring On It. It was pun-tastic and set the tone nicely.
While this is his debut at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Lycett is sort of a big deal in the UK, with spots on Celebrity Juice, Never Mind the Buzzcocks and 8 Out Of 10 Cats.
You can see why; he’s a fantastic story-teller who sets his scenes beautifully, but he’s razor sharp and quick on his feet.
Unfortunately audience banter was a mostly one-way affair, strained by the reluctance of audience members to shout out things like whether or not they’re bisexual in a small room like the Town Hall’s Cloak Room at 7:15pm before they’ve started drinking in earnest. Even with his quick wit, it led to some slightly awkward moments and silences.
This is a good show, but there were some slow points, probably the worst of which was a sketch towards the end of the show, involving a game show concept. It just didn’t work. It wasn’t funny, it was completely reliant on a vocal audience, which he didn’t have, and it wasn’t particular new or fun.
Lycett then had a slightly uphill battle winning the audience back, which he did, but it was work he really didn’t need to create for himself.
Overall this is a good, strong, show from a quality performer and while the script definitely needed some tightening, it was a solid performance from a quality comic.
Rating: 3 ½ out of 5 stars
Then You Should’ve Put A Ring On It
By Joe Lycett
Cloak Room, Melbourne Town Hall, Swanston St
Melbourne International Comedy Festival
www.comedyfestival.com.au
27 March – 20 April
