Mark Nelson struts on stage to banging Rammstein industrial metal, plunging headfirst into a heady rhetoric on Brexit. He leaves us in no doubt as to which side of the fence he’s on, and the hour that follows is a slick comedic recital of the political landscape up to this point. Nelson fires bullets of humour which do not fail to hit the mark, and no one is safe from the firing line – pensioners, racists and sex offenders are all on his hit list.
A quick fire comedic retrospective of socially responsible living
Brexit is the narrative framing Nelson’s performance, though he makes it clear that he’s about so much more than this topic. Nelson’s audience interaction demonstrates his experience, as on the day this reviewer visited, there was a drunken unapologetic leave-voting heckler in the front row - Nelson didn’t balk from this challenge, and carefully questioned the thought processes leading to such a vote whilst remaining coquettishly incredulous as to the lack of regret from our leave voting compadre.
Aside from Brexit, Nelson also regaled on tales of middle class life – mortgages, trips to B&Q and printing out the recycling schedule. Reused condoms, global warming and deciding which child he’d save in an emergency were other topics Nelson batted at us in this hour of japes and hijinks.
The only slight disappointment was when Nelson fell back on some cheap jibes like holocaust jokes and coercive anal sex. Nelson is so much better than that, and doesn’t need to resort to #ladsladslads humour. The vibrator skit toward the end of the show ultimately delivered a fantastic punch, however it took slightly too long to get there. Still, none of that detracted from what was a quick fire comedic retrospective of socially responsible living.
