Review: Lewis Schaffer – Free Until Famous

Lewis Schaffer

This past Friday saw New York comedian Lewis Schaffer bring his show Free Until Famous to Jesmond, and deliver a set that both pushed comedic boundaries and the moral conscience of his sold-out audience. As You Like It was a somewhat unexpected venue for this near to the bone comedian, but it soon became the packed out chuckle house for Schaffer’s rendition of his 2010 Edinburgh show.

The first half of Free Until Famous primarily functioned as a luring in, and was a bit of a slow start, to be honest. I was quite worried that Schaffer was just free-styling and allowing whatever popped into his head to spill out – which I imagine he can be prone to do – but the first section of the show was spent getting to know the audience, feeling this mixed crowd out and lulling them into a bit of a false sense of mediocrity.

Whilst the laughs weren’t quite as forthcoming in the opening section of Free Until Famous, the second half was where Lewis Schaffer came into his own – he brought out his darker side, and got laughs out of the most controversial of subject matter. The performance had a better flow to it, too, and maybe, because he’d read the audience very well, Schaffer knew that his risky punchlines would be well received by the sold-out crowd.

Schaffer’s rude, he’s damn right offensive on occasion, but God is he talented. Who says Americans can’t do irony? He knows it and he works it to perfection. The New Yorker may want to give the impression that it’s all a bit hap hazard – that he’s just rambling on – but it’s all very well crafted. The peaks and troughs all come at the right times and the pace and timing of his lines are bang on every time. Why is this man not famous yet?

I like him, I challenge you not to.