Review: Jim Jefferies: Fully Functional – Tyne Theatre, Newcastle.

Jim Jefferies

“Okay, let’s start with a joke.” And thus begins Jim Jefferies’ incendiary 90 minute set at the Tyne Theatre in Newcastle.

From the opening line of the show, a pattern emerges in the narrative: Joke, Laughter, Guilt. Jefferies is an equal opportunity offender and no subject matter is off limits. In fact, he seems to be drawn to the forbidden.

In the wrong hands, jokes of this nature can often seem bitter – or at least, a comic searching for shocks as much as laughs. What separates Jefferies from the rest, though, is the effort he puts in to the set-up, the narrative. And whilst these stories might feel outrageous, they begin with natural – and often casual – build-ups that are intended to misplace the gag. Despite the shock tactics, there’s an underlying intelligence to his set; a bit on God turning up unannounced to a party, for example, is as thought provoking as it is funny.

There’s times when the audience are strangely comfortable with him as a performer; so much so that at one point a, shall we say, rotund lady asks if Jim would like a drink from the bar. After initially jumping at the opportunity to make fun of her, he backs off before gently teasing her about the intricacies of marriage. Jefferies isn’t here to bully or offend; he’s not laughing at the misfortunate, but merely finding humour in misfortune.

As far as the structure of Fully Functional goes, the show is loosely pieced together around life stories, while riffing on subjects such as going out with a girl who previously went out with Michael Phelps, engineering threesomes, ‘rapey’ friends and seat etiquette on aeroplanes. Each is littered with throw-away one-liners that many other comics would kill to have as their closing gag.

Tonight, Jefferies is enjoying himself to the point that he asks us if he can try out new material, pre-warning that it might not be funny. This is the only part of the show that falls flat. Yet it still serves a purpose in giving the crowd a chance to catch their breath, before Jefferies ties everything together with two messages for his crowd: never give up on your dreams, and don’t touch children.

Jefferies might not be everyone’s cup of tea – and don’t expect him to be on the BBC anytime soon. But, right now, laugh for laugh he is without question one of the finest comedians on the planet.