Josh Pugh supported the main act, after a brief warm-up from headliner Washington, and delivered a successful and enjoyable 20 minutes of comedy. While there were few big laughs there was a steady current of warm chuckles throughout. A particular highlight of the set was Pugh’s poetry reading at the end. I hope one day to see ‘Lost And Found’ recognized as the masterpiece it is.
An Edinburgh Fringe ‘Best Newcomer’ nominee and former Wigan postman, Chris Washington gave a very funny hour recounting his Edinburgh Fringe experience and a few choice stories from his postman days. The latter included a rather incredible tale of how he almost missed his own strike and the former is really a remarkable story that shines a light on Washingtons’s considerable ability as a comedian.
The audience included a lot of friends and family, and they were at times a little too supportive. Washington, however, managed the crowd very well and was not above delivering a much needed and effective ‘shush’. He is a talented observational comedian with an easy style and a knack for painting detailed and hilarious pictures with his words; ‘champagne wolverine’ springs immediately to mind.
Refreshingly his set was also entirely ‘unproblematic’; the set was entirely original and didn’t require outdated stereotypes, punching down or -isms to pump up his set with cheap laughs. I sincerely hope Washington retains this confidence in his own material. My only criticism of the night was that it wasn’t long enough, as I could have easily listened to another hour of him. In short, Chris Washington is a skilled comedian and I was simply happy to be there.
Reviewer - Deanna Turnbull
on - 16/2/19
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