When it comes to knowing how to work an audience, comedian Chris Addison is in the loop. Witty, energetic, and with an answer for everything, Addison entertained the LPAC audience when he performed on Friday, March 26th.
A familiar face on television, Addison’s dry and satirical humour is well known; he’s part of the award-winning “The Thick of it” and has made numerous appearances on “Have I Got News For You?” and the like, but this stand up show was far from what was expected.
In a recent interview with The Linc, Addison confessed that the show would be “more personal” than his previous performances, “focusing on some of my own failures and opinions”. It’s a common theme for comedians to use self-deprecating puns, but Addison is somewhat extraordinary.
It was like watching an animated version of the Addison you see on the screen. He retold embarrassing stories from his childhood that were physically exhausting for both the audience to watch and for him to enact. He is excruciatingly skinny – a feature of himself that he constantly teases – and so seeing a 30-something, walking twiglet deliver quip after quip was bizarre but hilarious.
What was really impressive was the effort that Addison put in to having banter with the audience. He’d obviously spent time researching Lincoln (though he modestly said he knew ‘nothing’ about the city) and made specific jokes tailored to the Lincoln audience. It was refreshing to see a stand up who performs a different show at each destination, keeping it fresh for both himself and his fans.
Addison is incredibly intelligent and his comedy is well planned, where the gags in the latter half link back to the first. Speaking of his childhood, his anecdotes were endearing and saw him concentrate on something other than mocking others – you get a real sense of where Addison has come from in this show.
The second half saw him return to his comfort zone, talking on issues like the rise of the BNP and general human intolerance. Though at times it felt like he was verging on lecturing territory, his smart views on issues were interesting to hear and always ended in a pun that made it less heavy.
With brains and hilarity in abundance, Chris Addison is making his mark on British comedy with every project he does. A professional stand-up for over 15 years, Addison has mastered his technique and keeps the audience intrigued from start to finish.