Tom Rosenthal – Original Review
Note: This review is from 2008
Review by Steve Bennett
Although only a newcomer, Tom Rosenthal manages the energy of a room with the instincts of a pro, and when he promises jokes long and short, that’s exactly what he deliversHe occupies a Venn-diagram overlap between Ricky Gervais and Mark Watson, if you can imagine such a thing. Like Watson, he plays up the nervous, self-conscious geekiness; like Gervais he can nail an ironically illiberal gag with false naivity.
He’s found a few good ideas he can call his own, such as a magnificently camp Machiavelli learning what his name had come to stand for, and can employ a skilful turn of phrase. It makes him an amiable, relaxed act, though perhaps not yet with that added ‘wow’ factor to make the difference between good and great. But he is certainly worth keeping an eye on.
Review date: 19 Oct 2008
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
