The Verse’s Becky Bench reviews Tom Allen & Suzi Ruffell’s show Hit the Road at Komedia on the 15th December.
After having already performed a sold out show at the Komedia, Tom Allen and Suzi Ruffell’s Hit the Road came back for a second performance. This tour involves the two comedians taking their Edinburgh Fringe shows to venues across the country together and so they both did an hour long set and there was no support. As the show was in the studio room at Komedia; the audience was small and clearly fans of the comics’ work.
To start off the show, Tom and Suzi came on stage together to explain how the night would work and in this time they interacted with the audience. Then Tom introduced Suzi, who had hidden behind a curtain so she could walk on from the wings.
Fresh from supporting Josh Widdicombe on his most recent tour, Suzi Ruffell’s been touring her Fringe show Common. In her show Ruffell relates stories of her childhood, growing up in a working class family, recounting tales of her father’s ‘dodgy’ jobs and her mother’s fashion sense. The way she talks about her life growing up in Portsmouth feels both familiar and also slightly ridiculous. At one point in the show, Ruffell goes on to talk about her new baby in detail before revealing that her newborn is in fact a cat. Ruffell’s performance isn’t all laughs though as she goes on to discuss breaking up with and getting back together with her fiancée. She also tells a great story about turning up to work drunk and being turned away because she was too inebriated to perform.
After supporting Sarah Millican on her tour and appearing on a number of high profile shows, including 8 Out of 10 Cats and Live at the Apollo, Tom Allen has grown a significant fan base. Despite being from an ‘ordinary’ background, Allen’s comedy appeals to a wide audience as he is able to remain relatable whilst also projecting an aloof air around himself. Like Suzi, Allen’s performance centres on his family and his life growing up in South London and he is quick to confirm his sexuality by announcing “so… I’m gay” as soon as he comes onstage. His set has the audience laughing from start to finish, with highlights being any story that involves his Mum’s friend Joyce. One of the best jokes he told was about leisure centres, specifically “sub-tropical paradises”, in which he discussed the joy of the wave machines and flumes at these places.
Find tickets to their final date at Komedia (on April 7th 2017) here.
