For most of this show, Robins’ mind is on the 24th of August, 2001, the greatest day of his life. Yet Robins has just ‘hit’ thirty and that halcyon day was over a decade ago. So, where should his mind be now? At points he considers what life would be like had he been named ‘Zack Duddington’ instead of a name that too easily becomes ‘John Knobbins’. Zack is the cocky, sexually proficient alter-ego, through which Robins adeptly skewers lad culture whilst also mocking his own insecurities. He deftly exploits the latter in his self-conscious interactions with the audience and in his penchant for slightly naff yet amusing puns.
The set steps up remarkably when Robins builds towards the story of that pivotal day. Robins is an extremely gifted and genial storyteller. His tales are instantly relatable as he explores the anxieties of growing up and the nostalgia we subsequently attach to those days. He intersperses his stories with quotations from a well-thumbed copy of The Great Gatsby to support his insights into drinking, feeling like an outsider, and the vagaries of memory. This could have been gimmicky or pretentious but instead Robins’s intellect and honest enthusiasm for this seminal novel shine through.
Yet, unlike Gatsby, Robins is not blinded by nostalgia and knows such wistful feelings are really a reflection upon our present lives, leading Robins to consider his own. As topics for comedy, the various ailments that come with aging are nothing new, but Robins finds an intelligent approach towards them - albeit a little too clever at times as he can leave the audience behind with his more complex wordplay. He also possesses the invaluable knack of explaining the joke in a way that not only rescues the situation but also makes the original line even funnier.
Where is My Mind? invites us to consider an answer to the title question and with Robins it is difficult to know. He is undoubtedly stronger when he uses his stories as the means to discuss more abstract ideas yet he is also drawn to crude humour about bodily functions. He is such a gregarious presence that you are inclined to forgive his weaker moments, especially as there are some truly brilliant lines in this set and his use of language is often richly rewarding. After an hour in his company, it may be easier to say where John Robins’ mind isn’t but then that is part of the joy of watching him perform.
