This is late night comedy at its finest. Complete with cabaret seating that allows for greater intimacy and interaction with the audience, The Stand Late Show plays host to five superb rotating acts of stand-up comedy over the course of two hours every Friday and Saturday night. Whatever it is that strikes your fancy, be it politics, Match of the Day, porn, or the late bar, rest assured there is something for everybody over the course of this marathon. Come one, come all.
The crowd was greeted by the very funny Caroline Rhea, acting as spirited compere for the evening. She ran through some material on the many peculiarities of the Scottish dialect, poked fun at a few stereotypes, and produced several jokes at the expense of her daughter. Next up was Scottish comedian Vladimir McTavish, by far and away the best act of the night, who began with a brief survey concerning the minimum pricing of alcohol- it turns out an overwhelming majority oppose the policy. Then there was an intriguing theory as to the inspiration for Stephenson’s Jekyll and Hyde that historians would do well to consider. Yet, the jewel of his act was a stretch on Gandhi, Alex Salmond and hunger striking. To cap it off, there was the traditional lampooning of American ignorance.
After a brief intermission, Rhea passed the baton to Igor Meerson. Things started promisingly, with a few Russia jokes and Cold War banter, but quickly went downhill. Although none of his material was truly dull, it was not met with the same enthusiasm and warm reception from the audience. Michael Shae then took the mic, delivering some of the most provocative material on the night. What happens after the last scene in a porn film? I’d never really given it much thought until last night. Also, apparently the behavioural problems of the current teenage generation can be definitively reduced to sexting. Troubadour Phil Nichols finished out the night on a high note with some musical comedy. Showgoers were treated to perhaps the funniest moment of the night when a drunken heckler proved too much to resist; Nichols abandoned much of his act in favour of a few highly demeaning songs, which the heckler responded to by sprinting onto stage and performing his very own improvisational song. After an assortment of one-liners, Nichols left the crowd in a state of rapture, only to return after cries for an encore.
Although the marathon show lasted into the early hours of the morning, a total duration of two hours including the encore, not a soul complained. On the contrary, the show embodied such quality that I doubt another two hours would not have appeased the audience. Time well spent.
