The Verse’s Gemma Turner tells us what she thought of Rob Brydon’s performance at Brighton Dome on 17th March.
Rob Brydon has been a familiar household name for years. He has starred in shows like ‘Gavin and Stacey’, ‘Would I Lie to You’, and ‘Road Trip’. So for him to come back to tour with his stand up ‘I Am Standing Up’ was much anticipated and as entertaining as ever.
He opened his show with some light-hearted ‘who’s in tonight’ gags. Brydon managed to draw out the best of Brighton by doing the classic, ‘where are you from and what do you do’, addressing social class division. Brydon pokes harmless fun at the age range of his audience pleading “is there anyone under the age of thirty here?”. Then, striking gold with a teenager accompanied by (as Brydon puts it) ‘the middle-class yoga teacher mother’ there were laughs aplenty, and that was just the opening. No one was safe; the elderly, hipsters, even his own son, the welsh comic gently addresses the art of ageing in his seamless routine.
But let’s not be mistaken, Brydon is not a one trick pony. He engaged with the audience throughout the whole show, including allowing them to navigate him through his infamous impressions, and even did ‘small man in a box’. Admittedly I did get a little excited when he glimpsed of his ‘old pal’ Steve Cogan impressions came through. And I especially swooned when he told stories of his celebrity friendships. Later, Brydon got personal with the audience and shared a touching story about Ronnie Corbin. A story that warmed the hearts of everyone listening. He was a master in his field, and his field is entertainment.
Brydon then took to his acoustic guitar and serenaded his fans with requests from the audience, mixed in with a Q&A section. Armed with gags and impressions aplenty, Brydon put on his best Elvis impersonation. Reminding us just why is his king. Closing the encore with a big finish.
