Gerry Howell got the evening off to a rather slow start, explaining about his cardigan matching the seat covers, which seemed to confuse most people as to what he was on about. Fortunately, this seemed to be a temporary blip. He started getting much better, and seemed to get over his nervy start, and the more he dealt with the audience, the more laughs he got. Proving, for me at any rate, that a lot of comics who have the task of being compere are better to just skip their own material and just talk with the audience.

First up was Paul T Eyres, who gave quite a strong performance, although the material often didn’t match the confidence. When a couple of jokes landed particularly flatly, he had to admit they were relatively new jokes that probably still needed work. They did! One thing I noticed was he tended to close his eyes a lot, disconnecting him from the audience by doing so.

Alan Francis was supposed to have been performing, but was unable to do so. Standing in as last minute replacement was Carly Smallman, who was recently on Rob Brydon’s show. She did not disappoint. There are plenty of musical comedians who don’t always work, but she had the openness and honesty, as well some top songs that will make her quickly become a rising star. Setting pull back and reveal jokes to music isn’t easy, but she does it with consummate ease. A flirtatious nature on stage ensured that she was well liked by all who watched (including Will!). It was a pleasure watching her.

Headlining the night was Tom Allen who looked all the world like someone who exuded poshness. And when he spoke, you could tell, he was. But don’t let that fool you. Underneath the posh exterior was a great comedic brain. He would be telling you a story, and say something which no-one would take any other way, but he would clarify what he didn’t mean to great effect.

Another great evening of comedy from the Lighthouse.

SL

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