Postponed comedy gig is worth a wait
WHEN Jason Manford walks on stage he opens with a little apology.
His original early September gig was pulled at the last moment after his daughter was injured during a dance class.
The 500 fans who had packed into Middleton Arena didn’t seem to mind the switch, with the biggest cheer of the first few minutes from those who didn’t get tickets for the first date but managed to bag them for the second.
He was on stage for 90 minutes, mixing new material with some older stories that were so funny they totally justified another hearing.
His tales of getting stuck on a waterslide, much to the amusement of his children and great embarrassment to himself (‘it took six people to hit me before I started moving again’) were side-splitting comedy-genius.
Although this show was titled Best Of, it felt fresh, sprinkled with some new material and plenty of banter with the crowd.
With Jason having an eye on a new tour in 2017, he left his iPhone recording the show on stage, quipping it was ‘in case I say anything funny’.
Before the show and during the interval, fans were invited to write questions for him. There were many random questions submitted, but Jason had witty answers for them all.
It’s his relaxed but hilarious asides, promoted by comments from the audience, that made this show so good.
Jason is always a joy to watch and in the intimate environment of Middleton Arena it feels almost like he’s chatting to you in your front room.
Any budding comics would do well to watch the way Jason deals with persistent hecklers too. He’s an accomplished master, inviting and encouraging them, before delivering some cutting and brutally funny one-liners.
Support was provided by sassy ‘in your face’ Canadian comedy star Allyson June Smith, now making a name for herself in the UK, and she’ll have gained new fans this evening.
The show may have been two months late, but it was worth the wait.