Matthew Highton will deceive you. He tricks you into thinking you’re in for an hour of clever and charming but very normal stand up and then two minutes into the show throws off his observational-comedian mask and reveals himself to be very strange indeed. In fact, he somehow manages to pull off this stunt every five minutes or so. He lulls the audience into his relatable thoughts about sneezing then shakes them awake again with an odd comment about the aurora borealis. It’s disorientating, bizarre and rather brilliant.
Highton is tremendously amiable and the small audience is warmed up and engaged from the start. The show is a surreal storytelling session strewn with original jokes, keen observations and moments of casual madness. He weaves all these elements together towards a big finale that is very silly and yet somehow a bit thrilling at the same time.
Whilst most of the show is a great display anyone will enjoy, the more bizarre moments and often niche pop culture references sometimes receive a subdued reaction, provoking what will probably become Highton’s catchphrase: “That bit’s just for me.” Whilst his acknowledgement of material falling flat entices a giggle from the audience he comes across as a bit too apologetic. Not everything has to bring the house down; it’s often the obscure references and jokes that the performer clearly loves that make a show a bit special, even if the audience doesn’t always get it. At one point he finds himself promising: “This is just the preview, I’ll make this bit funnier.” Whether or not that’s an achievable guarantee, this show’s future audiences are in for a marvellous treat.
