Jon Richardson: Old Man Review

In a world where Trump is president, Brexit is underway and humanity appears to be taking a steady decline into a whole new pit of misery, you can always rely on Jon Richardson to focus on the real issues of the world, and spend a solid chunk of time complaining about how people have a complete inability to use a dishwasher.

Touring to Southampton as part of his latest show, somewhat fittingly titled ‘Old Man’, Jon treated crowds to a series of hilarious jokes and antidotes about his life, which I can only be described as being a concerning level of relatable for the most part. With his act varying from topics such as his OCD tendencies to marriage, public toilets to new-found fatherhood, the much-loved comedian ensured that all members of the audience are catered for, and, even though he is such a small person, he easily managed to feel the large theatre space.

Accompanied by a minimalistic stage, which featured symmetrical lighting across the back, all eyes were on him, and he did not disappoint. With his famous, timid persona and a cardigan that will forever haunt my nightmares (which he luckily removed after the first few minutes) Richardson offered a high-energy performance in his own way, with his unique observations, such as the sky box percentage and the cleanliness of the kitchen, having the whole audiences in tears (of laughter) by the end of the evening.

As briefly mentioned above, Jon comments on family life, but in his own, distinctive way, ensuring that younger audience members, like myself, do not feel ignored. Instead on telling many tales about his child and embarrassing things they have done, his focus is in his usual observation style, such as the baby being born late and therefore questioning whether he was, in fact, the father.

Richardson even offered his own take on social media, detailing how fans often Tweet to him, which causes him to enter a whole new level of stalking, which is both admirable and terrifying. This lead to a whole new form of audience participation, which was highly amusing and had, as far as I am aware, never been done before.

Deploying words such as “tessellation” (which I still don’t know the definition of) and raising concerns about the times his audience don’t tweet him to tell them they are home safe from his show, Jon ensured that the show, like many other of his performances, focused on his inability to remain carefree. His comedic, uptight nature and shameless self-deprecation, as well as his obvious over-thinking, has certainly given him a distinctive edge, and ensures audience everywhere with be crying with laughter throughout the evening.

A perfect, modern combination of light-hearted, gross and occasionally quite dark, Jon Richardson's routine is hands down one of the best I have seen. Even now, he continues to develop into one of the greatest comedians around, and his originality and oddities just go to show that this "old mad" still has a lot left in him yet!

It is rare for me to urge readers to go and see a show as soon as they can, but I advise every single one of you to try and find tickets!

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