A few weeks ago I went to see this year’s show from Richard Herring, ”What is love, anyway?” at The Lights in Andover. Although Richard didn’t think the show went down very well, I enjoyed it. It was a more thought-provoking and personal show than the previous ones I’ve seen, made all the more poignant as he had just got back from his honeymoon. There were some touching moments in the show, which was devoid of much of his usual bluster. It was a refreshing change for a comedian who specialises in playing myriad different versions of himself.
The following week I got a call from the Theatre Royal in Winchester, saying that there had been a return for Stewart Lee’s show. I had tried to book a few months ago but the show had already sold out, so went on the waiting list. Some poor so-and-so wasn’t able to go, so just one week after watching Richard Herring live I was watching the other half of the erstwhile comedy duo.
I’d not visited this theatre before. It’s an impressive space, not large but very ornate. The show was great, although it’s hard to explain why. Stewart’s style is confrontational and he deliberately divides the audience. The first ten minutes consisted of a stream of uncomfortable put-downs directed at a woman in the front row, who couldn’t work out how to turn her phone off. The material must have been used before but I still can’t work out if the whole thing was a set up.
I bought the Fist of Fun Series 1 DVD set after Richard’s show and he signed it. I remembered to take it to Stewart’s show too. So after seeing Herring and Lee, I can now watch Lee and Herring whenever I want.