JOSH WIDDICOMBE: INCIDENTALLY | LIVE REVIEW

Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli, Fri 30 May

Josh Widdicombe declares during this show that he’s not a “big issues comedian” and that he “doesn’t talk about war or anything”. For those that want a break from satirical political musings, his style is perfect: the ultimate alternative to alternative comedy one might call it. Whatever it’s called, Widdicombe nails it and had the entire sell-out crowd here in stitches throughout.

After a debut DVD and seemingly incessant panel and chat show appearances over the past 18 months, he was quick to endear himself to the locals by suggesting that all that TV work had finally paid off and landed him in Llanelli.

A master observationalist, he finds hilarity and intrigue in even the smallest of everyday items, including a packet of Love Hearts, a DVD copy of The Snowman and, most notably, his old telephone that was purchased from a charity shop – “Have you ever tried dialing 999 with one of these? Hi, I’d like to report a burglary. When did it happen? Six months ago!”

With an angry and irritated tone throughout, the pace is fast and the jokes and sarcasm leap from one topic of frustration to the other, leaving the audience little time to draw breath. The only respite comes if you’re lucky enough to be sat near the back as he starts a conversation with a shy and poor soul near the front.

One thing that can spoil a comic’s rhythm is over-emphasis on the audience; a veer away from material at the expense of finding out that the man in seat C7 is a plumber and likes rugby. Widdicombe, however, gets away with this by including the crowd within the material, engaging everyone as he does so.

An arena tour surely awaits for the young Devon comic because observational comedy doesn’t get much better than this.

words ROB HARRIES