Phill Jupitus asked us here to ask him questions. In this hour of comedy he performs characters that informing the audience on topics of their choosing. The set up is odd, to say the least. Jupitus appears as a series of characters - all of whom are dead - but have returned from beyond the veil to answer questions about their life. It is an off the wall experience, much of which is necessarily made up on the fly, making for a show that is semi-improvised, semi-coherent and semi-successful.
His first manifestation is as a Dutch roadie who has worked with any band that you can think of. The audience ask him about his rock ‘n’ roll experiences and he muses on his own death and what it’s like to be a ghost in Scotland in the summer.
Next Jupitus becomes a pipe-chewing actor, who reveals intimate backstage anecdotes as he answers audience questions about revues he’s performed in and reviews he’s received.Finally Phill Jupitus appears as himself. He explains his personality has been beamed back from the future in order to answer any questions we may have about the years to come.
Jupitus is undoubtedly an excellent improviser and there is a great deal of pleasure to be had from watching his quick wit at work. He has a great connection with the audience, particularly with those sitting close to the front and his warm and friendly manner is infectious, especially when he says something outrageous and nearly makes himself laugh. The format also allows him to move on swiftly when an idea has no legs. Unfortunately this can happen quite frequently, as Jupitus is relying upon the audience to ask interesting and provoking questions. While I’m sure there are some set piece anecdotes woven into the set, the majority is made up on the spot. The concept in general is pretty odd and the ending in particular is totally bizarre. As with any improv show it has moments that fire and some that fizzle. It is an imaginative and unusual performance - plenty weird, but also pretty impressive.
