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Paul Savage Finds Every Joke in the Bible

 
Charlotte Ivers Review by Charlotte Ivers 3 Published: 14 Aug 2014 Dragonfly Show Dates: 2 Aug 2014-23 Aug 2014

Accompanying Paul Savage on his quest to find every joke in the Bible is an enjoyable way to spend an hour. There isn’t anything particularly revolutionary in his set, but there is a steady stream of laughs and Savage held my, and the audience’s, attention for the full hour.

He deals with the audience’s reticence well, swiftly segueing into the next joke.

Savage knows his audience as well as he knows his Bible: perfectly pitching his jokes within the bounds of what will be found acceptable, always with a wry self-awareness. There are a few sharp observations and amusing new takes on the material and Savage’s obvious nostalgia for his childhood makes for an enjoyably light-hearted journey through some of the grislier parts of the Old Testament.

Unfortunately, Savage’s attempts to get the audience to participate often fall flat, indicating perhaps that he has not quite succeeded in creating an engaging atmosphere in the room. Having said this, he deals with the audience’s reticence well, swiftly segueing into the next joke.

In all, I enjoyed Paul Savage’s comedic take on Biblical scholarship. His treatment of the material is affectionate and gently comedic. This isn’t an angry Richard Dawkins style rant at the absurdities of religion, nor is an attempt at conversion. Rather, it is an engaging and affable labour of love by a man determined to find comedy in the most unlikely of places.

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The Blurb:

Savage's dad (a Baptist preacher) claims there's only one joke in the Bible. It's not a good one. The award-winning comedian finds the others. Features wizard battles, talking donkeys, invincible warrior monks and their throwaway one liners. Also contains enough incest, genocide and gangrape to keep any Game Of Thrones fans happy. 100% biblically accurate. ‘Genuinely brilliant, an all round hoot’ (Guardian).