Tom Parry, formerly a third of sketch group Pappy’s, presents
A friendly, frivolous and decidedly fun hour that proves Tom Parry’s comedy instinct to be outstanding.
Tom brings with him a list of jokes and a list of thoughts, given out to audience members to prompt him as needed. The rest of the show is devoted to hilarious explanations of slang terms, seemingly random wonderings, and a string of brilliant stories about his experiences with fancy dress. He also takes us through his own personal rules surrounding fancy dress parties, and the trouble they have got him into.
Anyone who has seen Pappy’s will know that its members are true masters of the fancy dress art form, and Parry’s descriptions of his costumes alone are hilarious. He is a boisterous performer with a seemingly endless supply of energy; his set never lags or becomes dull, simply because he himself is putting everything he has into it. Any moment in which it seems that he is losing his audience is then revealed to have been a masterful buildup of tension that he then disperses with just as much skill and a huge laugh from the audience.
Parry has put this set together with obvious care, making meta references to callbacks and whether one belongs where he put it. Although this is only a passing joke, it underlines what is palpable throughout - Parry’s precision in writing. His exactitude has worked flawlessly, making Parry’s hour of ludicrous stories, surreal impressions (I’m looking at you Kelly Jones), and outlandish jokes seem like an effortless attempt.
He really does make it look easy. He can build on this by eliminating a few of the weaker jokes here and there, such as one or two of the puns (though in the main I must admit that his puns are gloriously terrible). However, this show is overall a friendly, frivolous and decidedly fun hour that proves Tom Parry’s comedy instinct to be outstanding.
