For a comedian whose routine revolves around his social awkwardness and general anxiety about life, Jon Richardson is remarkably at ease in front of an audience. Nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award last year, Richardson is an engaging raconteur, and some of his best moments come from his off-the-cuff interactions with the audience, a risky area for many comedians. His material is polished and relentlessly entertaining, giving the audience a glimpse into the peculiarities of his mind, as he regales us with tales of his pet hates and determinedly pessimistic attitude towards life. This sort of material could easily become a bleak and bitter rant against the world, but Richardsons cheerful misanthropy is strangely endearing, and it is easy to empathise with his distinctive outlook on life. The targets of Richardsons rants range from his love-hate relationship with football, his frustration with the misguided optimism of others, and a celebration of the parochial absurdity of regional news. No-one else could make musings about the decline of our species so entertaining or strangely uplifting, but Richardson has turned his disillusionment with humanity into a hugely enjoyable show.
