Review: Alan Carr [Spexy Beast] – Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle

Alan Carr | © Andy Hollingworth Archive

Alan Carr’s opening gambit is a strange one: ‘I’ve been out of stand-up for four years now, so this will be a bit hit and miss. Some of it will make you laugh and, you know, some of it won’t.’

Now, this is true of any show. No matter who you see, there will always be lulls in a set, moments when the laughter barely leaves your mouth. But is this really the way to start a show people have paid upwards of £30 to see? At best it’s modest, at worst a little insulting.

It just so happens Carr’s bang on – Spexy Beast is hit and miss.

Take his shtick on call centres, for example. Well observed – especially the line about collecting for colleagues –but lacking a killer payoff at the end. He encounters similar problems with his routine on having ‘a shit job.’ And in the opening section he initiates running jokes – like his ‘What would Bear Grylls do?’ line – and attempts call-backs, but they’re not given enough time to breathe and he loses the laughter of recognition. Missed opportunities.

There are plenty of ‘hits’ in Spexy Beast, though. His line about Gok Wan, who seems to be the target of many stand-ups for some bizarre reason, is superb (both in its wordplay and its manipulation of Carr’s camp persona); and his story about having his phone stolen conjures up an equally entertaining image.

For the most part, Carr talks about our own concerns; the trivial hidden amongst the mundane. He hammers home the everyman in his act, often falling back on his old flatmate Monica or how he loves looking after his godchildren, which provides us with another laugh courtesy of an acute observation on swimming aids. But then he offers up a rather dull routine on self-service checkouts and we’re back to square one.

Spexy Beast is a decent showing from Carr, but after four years out of the game you expect a bit more from him. Especially at £30 a ticket.