Show Rating:

This is a nightmare to review. It’s all positive, but being in the eye of the storm that is Idiot Wind, you come out completely laughed out, exhilarated and stuck for words on how to describe it.

It’s a full-on experience and Al Pitcher is blessed with funny bones, a funny face and more than his fair share of geniality. His panting delivery, his comedy crouch and swaying makes him look like he’s on the baseline at Wimbledon, receiving service, but it is Al who keeps firing ideas over the net.

We all have moments of Idiot Wind; it’s the gift of the gaffe, a talent for the inane and inappropriate remark when silence would have been easy and preferable. But this isn’t just a catalogue of socially inept incidents, Al Pitcher’s talent for performing in the moment is awesome and he involves his audience in the show to create something very special.

Make no mistake, the apparent comedy chaos does have his godlike hand gently steering and directing the randomness. Few performers are generous and confident enough to potentially sabotage their own show by handing out icepops in a roasting room, but he more than gets away with it.

His talent for digressions within digressions is enviable, there are little throwaway lines and callbacks throughout and some pant-wetting funny moments.

From his first words it was like the audience was on laughing gas, genuinely caught up in the performance. Great stuff.

Reviewed by: Julian Chambers