Review by Steve Bennett

Dan Atkinson – by far the least famous person on stage – set the bar high with some hugely accomplished compering. He bantered just enough to set up Larry the policeman in the front row as the willing stooge for the night before slipping seamlessly into his own material, obviously aware that too much audience chit-chat can alienate those at the back of a 1,000-seater tent who simply cannot connect with those nearest the stage.

Atkinson’s winning persona is of an elegant wreck, an irresponsible drunk living in near poverty but attempting to be smartly dressed beneath his mop of unkempt hair. It’s an appealing mix, in equal part admirable and unenviable, onto which Atkinson dollops a generous ladleful of easy charm.

He playfully chats about his life on the road, of other gigs, of the contempt in which he holds his landlady, a wealthy Tory MP, and her feckless son – illustrated with a fine use of English that plucks out just the right word to give an anecdote impact, and delivered with a compelling passion.

Review date: 13 Sep 2009
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Old Royal Naval College