Eric Lampaert makes no claims to be tackling the big issues - in Testiculating (Waving Your Arms Talking B*ll*cks), he talks about everything and anything that catches his eye from airport security to death certificates. On the surface the show has a short attention span - bursts of energetic musings, and quirky observations, tied together by Lampaert vivacious personality. And what a personality it is, filling the stage larger than life, never staying in one place for long as he earnestly gestures to the audience to draw them into the joke. A natural storyteller, the hour feels immensely truthful and it’s easy to get on board with his world view.
The performer’s sense of genuine wonder at each observation creates a very human element.
Whilst the jokes themselves appear disconnected, the theme of anxiety and grabbing life by the horns run through the show and in many ways the randomness of the joke topics reflect this nervous energy. The show is sporadic, but justifiably so. It’s almost stream of consciousness in form and although some of the material is a little pedestrian – airport security and UKIP jokes are hardly smashing boundaries - the jokes are told with an offbeat originality that is undeniably funny.
The performer’s sense of genuine wonder at each observation creates a very human element. A joke about “neurotica” (or porn for nervous people) transcends simple wordplay – there’s a real anxiety behind the joke that creates a deeper level and draws you further into the reality of the show – albeit a reality in which chaos rules. It’s the glimpses into Lampaert’s real life anxieties that really make the show shine; stories about growing up displaced and getting into stand up after a near miss with death that put the rest of the show into context.
