Review: The Boy With Tape On His Face, Simon Donald, Andy Fury, Alfie Joey & Steffen Peddie – Queen’s Hall, Hexham

The Boy With Tape On His Face

I would like to say that Christmas came early for this reviewer as worldwide sensation The Boy With Tape On His Face entertained a forthcoming crowd on Black Eye Friday at Hexham’s gorgeous Queen’s Hall theatre – but the reality was a lot more complicated than that.

Kicking off the Big Owl Comedy night was MC Steffen Peddie, who warmed up the chatty crowd with his usual self-depreciating one-liners combined with a genuine enthusiasm for the comedy on show. It feels like window dressing with most comperes, but you can tell Peddie truly believes in the comedy he promotes, and rightly so on this viewing.

Opener Alfie Joey offered a mixed bag of material and a plethora of superb imitations that kept the audience engaged throughout his set. Joey’s a fantastic entertainer with a warm, approachable persona and his political routine on The Wizard Of Oz was possibly one of the night’s best; however I felt he lacked some of the stronger punch lines that are needed to command the opening section of the evening.

Following the break Peddie introduced local act Andy Fury to the stage. Fury began with some nice interaction with the crowd, and his D.I.Y anecdote was an impressive addition to his set. However it then got slightly bizarre, as his routine about a local reviewer was then interrupted by the writer of the piece himself. It was a situation as chaotic and inherently funny as Fury’s persona, and the comedian finished off his set by ad libbing with the reviewer to great effect. It would not be the last time a reviewer was embarrassed on stage that night.

Closing the middle section of the evening was Viz co-creator Simon Donald, showcasing his finest stand-up creation Barry Twyford. Alongside his Bingo From Benton character, Barry Twyford’s a favourite of mine, and whilst Donald provided the audience with some new material the format of his set continued to provide laughs. His S.T.I ‘questions’ were my personal highlight of his newer work, and should prove to be a nice addition to his character act.

Headliner The Boy With Tape On His Face both embarrasses and delights. As he is such a visual act, it is rather difficult to describe the brilliance behind his work, and words will likely prove insufficient. Seeing him live is an unforgettable experience, as he combines the traditions of mime, silent film and puppetry into an act that is unique, poignant and superbly presented.

But Sam Wills, the genius behind the duct-tape, does not stop on stage, bringing various audience members up to re-enact his superb sketches – one of whom was this reviewer, who proved beyond doubt that he is unable to act under pressure nor thrust to a sufficient standard*. With his act, Wills has created something magical, and I really cannot put into words how special The Boy With Tape On His Face is. Go and see him – you will not regret it. But beware: you may be asked to thrust.

* Ladies and gentlemen who were in attendance: I was not a plant, as the barman after the show suggested, nor was I fooling around on stage.  I am just fucking useless. Merry Christmas!