Swansea Grand Theatre

This was a one man show with guests. Noel James was joined by Richard Bowen and Mab Jones.

The first half of the evening’s show saw James in full swing. You’re not sure if he’s telling a story, a joke or the truth. Whether he really does forget bits or whether it’s all part of the show. His clever use of wordplay meant the audience had to pay full attention, if they didn’t they risked missing several gags, and punch lines.

Noel James is ‘touched’ as my mother would say, his adrenaline/ confidence/whatever seemed to go up and down like a rollercoaster, stand-up is mixed with slapstick and childish humour is mixed with politics. He is hilarious.

‘Malaprops’ is the misuse of words, not an injured French rugby player as Richard Bowen claimed when introducing the show. Bowen’s dry delivery is enhanced by his thick accent which, in turn adds to his despondent demeanour, you can’t help but laugh at him.

Mab Jones’ reading from ‘Pam Ayres Uncensored’ meant the audience could sit back, rest from James’ intensity and listen to her humorous rhymes. I particularly liked the ‘I look down on him’ sketch that opened part two of the show. The three characters were the successful, politically correct mainstream comic, the middle slightly old fashioned non PC comic and the poor old performance poet.

The second part of the show saw the introduction of The Great Nipplini, a man who played the keyboard using his nipples. In a bizarre, but funny sketch, the music maestro played a tune (badly) and comforted a crying baby. The show ended with James dressed in an Elvis/Godzilla costume singing an Elvis song – yes it was as weird as it sounds!