I have never seen anyone manage to create humour from pessimism and snobbery as well as Simon Evans does and oh my, we were in for quite a helping of it in this hour long show. Feeling slightly self-conscious at first of being one of the youngest members in the audience I was surprised by how on board I became with Evan’s way of thinking. Simon Evans is a confident and established performer without anything to prove; this gives him licence to unleash his sometimes unsavoury views.
A thoroughly entertaining and intelligently written show by a seasoned comedian.
This show explores the concept of genius, or according to Evans the lack of it in today’s society. He speaks about Edinburgh’s wonderful architectural and intellectual legacy but feels that the people let the city down and wonders when the next Hume and Smith will emerge? He cleverly compares a copy of the World Guinness Book of Records from the 70’s to one from today to measure the ‘decline of genius’. He also delivers a hilarious sketch on how Benedict Cumberbatch is the go-to actor to play an intelligent person due to his eyes being too far apart. This is apparently the physiological stereotype of an intellectual. He jokes about how the current Sherlock Holmes is now autistic and how Alan Turing would not be tortured for his homosexuality in today’s society, but for his high IQ.
He manages to win over his audience though by recognising his own snobbery and mocks his physical deterioration in his fifties delivering a hysterical stairs sketch. The audience howl when he examines the educational qualifications of the current leaders in the UK.
Although the views in this show are mainly in jest, Simon Evans makes some interesting observations on modern society and believes that there needs to be a reboot. As a younger audience member I feel he doesn’t give enough credit to today’s millennials but all is forgiven as he is possibly out of touch with the younger population bar his own children. That being said this is a thoroughly entertaining and intelligently written show by a seasoned comedian.
