Stuart Black – Original Review
Note: This review is from 2009
Review by Steve Bennett
Though still a relatively new player at the stand-up game, Stuart Black stands out from the pack thanks to his elegant writing and relaxed style.He holds the stage with the louche, semi-distracted confidence of a younger Dylan Moran, and has the interesting, quirkly bleak material to match. The pace is casual, but the punchlines still trot along regularly, enhanced by the fact you can almost never see them coming.
That tired phrase ‘a sideways look at…’ actually holds some meaning when applied to Black’s mature set: what starts out as a simple observation will subtly but effectively twist into delightfully skewed territory, without seeming forced or contrived.
He hasn’t completely mastered the difficult trick of getting the energy level just so while maintaining the couldn’t-care-less posture; but he’s surprisingly engaging, and the care he’s take in choosing the perfect language and imagery, slowly reels the audience in as he becomes overly-concerned about inconsequential things.
The bottom line is that he says things you won’t have heard before in an interesting, witty way, with lashings of aloof attitude. He’s often tipped as being one to watch for the future – it surely won’t be long until the future is now.
Review date: 26 Jan 2009
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
