There's nothing like brutal honesty to kill a festival mood and the atmosphere thickened with Sean Hughes' dark cynicism. The audience laughed, but in a somewhat depressed way. Hughes' routine is based largely on the quirks and pitfalls of middle-age. A great deal of his set also involves Jesus jokes. While he is funny and observant and some of his jokes are very clever, this show is not for the easily offended.
For such an experienced comedian, one would have hoped for a more original routine. However, Hughes' sticks to the safe and obvious topics: the Olympics, terrorists, the economy, his fading libido. His delivery is strong, always amusing, but his general attitude is apathetic and he doesn't appear to be giving us his best.
Hughes really starts to shine when he is most himself, ranting away with uncomfortable honesty. Like he says, 'we are at our best at our most vulnerable', and the same is true of him. Too often it felt all as though he was holding back his inner darkness when he should just let loose and embrace it. Instead, his performance ends up as just another grumpy-old-man routine, talking about corduroy and biscuits. Towards the end of the set he seemed to forget that he's a comedian and launched into a tirade about the economic crisis which felt more like a lecture than an anecdote.
Hughes should perhaps delve into some more personal topics rather than current affairs, which he drags out a bit too much. Altogether, he does come out with some hilarious lines and it's always a pleasure to see a great comedian, even if he is a bit old and grumpy.
