Devvo is an internet phenomenon and as such I was worried about how his on-screen antics would translate to a live setting. As it turned out, there was some foundation to my fears.
Although the game show may have been fun, it wasn't particularly funny.
Upon beginning the show, Devvo re-arranged the audience into two sides, those with jobs, and those without - from then on referred to as 'Nobs'. There was a little pre-game show banter, which essentially consisted of him reminding the audience of his internet and television work and then just getting them to cheer about it. This, however, seemed to satisfy the crowd - mainly made up of twenty-somethings who were already well-versed in Devvo's work. The game show itself was fun, consisting of increasingly shambolic rounds, ranging from a slow-drinking contest to a bric-a-brac swap shop. The points awarded were arbitrary, rules were virtually absent and much of the presenting seemed to be made up as he went along.
The problem was that although the game show may have been fun, it wasn't particularly funny. There was a sense of freewheeling anarchism - much like many of the acts appearing in association with cult legend Bob Slayer, who himself made a particularly memorable appearance halfway through the show. Devvo also managed to stay admirably in-character despite many unprompted changes to the (admittedly loose) script, however this wasn't quite enough. The conspicuous absence of any actual jokes, or joke-substitutes, soon caused the interest to run thin. This is not to say that there were no funny moments however; the audience member stripping fully naked and the offensive stickers divvied out to the various onlookers were particular highlights, as were Devvo's renditions of his 'hit' songs. Unfortunately, the crowd seemed far more preoccupied with filming him on their phones than laughing at his antics.
This highlights the exact problem with the show - Devvo does not work well with others. He is not designed for a live situation. It may be perfectly possible to create a live show in which Devvo is successful, but for now his reliance on old material and refusal to script anything genuinely funny for his improvisation to work around means that this is a show for die-hard fans only.
