Review: Juice, Stafford
Lovely review from the Staffordshire Newsletter for last weeks Juice Comedy show (which I'm the resident MC for). They may have had fun in the audience... but we were having a RIGHT hoot in the dressing room.
Review:
YOU know you've been to a great comedy gig when your face hurts from smiling.
A packed room at Stafford Gatehouse Theatre's The Met Studio enjoyed being entertained and jokingly embarrassed by five top class comedians on Friday.
The town's longest-running comedy club, Juice Comedy, has been bringing talent to Stafford for more than 10 years and did not disappoint.
Opening the evening with style was host Aaron Twitchen who was fabulous on a number of levels and really made sure everyone was having a great night. His campy comedy style kept the audience entertained in between acts and he really engaged with the audience – comparing my leopard faux fur coat as a Mel B tribute.
First up was opening act Chris Norton Walker who took one look at the Stafford crowd and wondered just what he'd got himself into. From the three ladies on the front row celebrating a birthday with cans of Fosters to the man who didn't want to take off his imposing green coat for fear of drawing attention to himself – no one escaped the keen eye of this comedian. I did feel sorry for the guy sat on the front row who was utterly at the mercy of comments regarding his windswept hairstyle. At the end of his act Norton Walker had managed to draw the unnerving, unblinking gaze of coat man the conveyancer and attract some light hearted abuse from a scary man in a striped tracksuit. I do hope he will return to Stafford, once the heat dies down.
Next up was Jon Pearson who walked out onto the stage, looked down at the audience from his towering 6ft 6 height, and threatened to stage dive onto us. He was wearing an incredible comedy shirt, which I believe had parrots on. He talked about his over-optimistic attitude to the gym and his experience with Brummie Barry, the personal trainer, whose exercise routine included shouting at Pearson's face, while forcing him to do hula hooping and skipping.
Following was blond Meat Loaf and Viking Tom Christian, who confessed his problem with his love for food. He said it had even got to the point where he craved Chinese food after seeing Chinese people. He delighted audiences with his scrapbook of letters of complaint to numerous companies – who actually wrote back with varying levels of sarcasm. In one letter he complained at being disappointed a shopping assistant who had offered to help with his packing declined to help him pack for his holiday.
Last up was headline act and comedy veteran Andy White, who was smartly dressed in a velvet jacket, which made him look like Dr Who. He poked fun at the class difference between his Brummie upbringing and his wife's posh family and at the humour of misguided racism. The smiley comic also talked about parenthood and what really stood out for me was the incredibly disturbing lullaby he shared with us, which still haunts me – along with his account of the horrors of the birthing pool. And people wonder why I prefer cats. White was so energetic he seemed a bit 'twitchy' and unpredictable, which helped with his silly comedy style. A perfect end to a brilliant night out.
Original source: http://www.staffordshirenewsletter.co.uk/Juice-Comedy-Aaron-Twitchen-Chris-Norton-Walker/story-28722292-detail/story.html#ixzz40FmJfT90
