Al Murray: Gig For Victory (Tour Warm Up) at Theatre At The Tabard

I do not do comedy gigs very often but this one had a lot going for it.

Firstly it was at Theatre At The Tabard which is a favourite place, easy to get to and above a pub.

Secondly, while Al Murray is not someone I have watched a lot he is old school and does not do observational comedy which is definitely not my thing.

I also had fond memories of a few other warm-up gigs with the likes of Armstrong and Miller, Phill Jupitus and Marcus Brigstocke.

So I forked out £20 for a seat in the front row. I was aware of the risks in doing that but so was everyone else and that is where the last seats were.

The warning was necessary as a few people in the front got beer on them almost immediately and I escaped with just a wet shoe.

Most of the hour was a dialogue with members of the audience and everyone in the first few rows got involved in some way, I got off lightly though he did suggest that Julie could have become a consultant if she had worked harder. Hardest hit was the young man sent to the bar to get drinks, twice.

There was some scripted content but as this was a warm-up gig I'll not say anything about that other than it was built on a subject that he is known to be interested in.

I like like my theatre in small venues where you can feel part of the action and I like my comedy the same way. This was a fun experience.