PETER KAY – LIVE AT THE ALBERT HALL IN BOLTON

I always find that humor is a funny thing at times. One day you might find a particular gag a right laugh riot – and literally out of this world. Whilst, on other days, you might find the exact same gag, is like a baby smoking a cigarette – somewhat surreal and unpleasant to comprehend. Well, unless the comedian is Peter Kay that is, as seem in this 60-minute performance recorded in 2009.


Peter Kay


THE STORY:
After being made late by his local Asian cab-driver, Mister B, Manchester’s finest stand-up comedian, Peter Kay, finally arrives at the Albert Hall, in Bolton, to give his awaiting fans what they have all been vying for – a right laugh.

Now in gallant form, Peter takes to the stage and tackles such topics of note as, his Mother, his Grandmother, death, crime, carrier bags, and his old Uncle Nobby.  Moreover, Peter also demonstrates why his observational humor and mimicry skills, have made him one of the most funniest and versatile English comedians within recent times.

What now follows is a handful of his some of Peter’s jokes:

• A man goes to the doctor and shows him his five balls dangling from his neither regions. The doctor asks him ‘My God man, how do you put your pants on with those?’. And in turn, the man replies ‘No problem mate, they fit me like a glove’.
• I rang up a take away and said to them ‘Do you deliver’. They replied ‘No – we only do meat and fish’.
• How does Bob Marley like his donuts? With Jam in.
• Knock-Knock? Whose there? Big ish? Big ish who? No – not today thanks.
• How do you kill a circus? Go for the jugular.
• I don’t have to go on friend reunited, I just watch Crime Watch instead.
• Do you know what my Gran does? She uses her glasses case as a remote control.
• Carry-Joke-e – Jokes that all of the audience can join in with.
• In response to a member of the audiences sullen gibe – You can peek too soon lad. Like your Dad.
• Inane expression you say to a cab driver – What time did you start? When do you clock off? Its like tourettes!!!

Once Peter finally ends his show, he takes a bow, leaves the stage, and then jumps into Mister B’s alighting taxi, where he discovers what the ‘b’ stands for in his name – ‘conning b*stard’.

THE REVIEW:

Have you ever heard of the expression ‘straw in a hurricane’? Well, that is what I felt like whilst I was watching ‘Peter Kay – Live at the Albert Hall’. Please note, I do not mean this in a bad way at all, now way, instead, I mean this by the way Peter delivers gag after gag after gag, in such a relentless manner that I could not help but laugh until there was no wind left within me. Heck, I have to admit, that at times his jokes where so ‘spot on’, that I almost coughed my lungs out through laughing.

But how does Peter do this I wonder? That is what I kept on asking myself after I watched his show. Well, personally speaking, I surmise that he relies on three things to make him the comedian that he is today. Such as:

STRUCTURE: Thankfully, with my somewhat trained eye, I am able to ascertain the very cleaver structure that Peter instils into his stand up performances. Take this one for instance. He starts it off with a very congenial spirit – by introducing his Mother and engaging his audience in a very personable way. Next, Peter tests the waters by recounting rapid-fire gags to all in earshot – thus giving him the feedback he needs to ascertain how he should proceed in style and in tone.  And finally, he starts his stand-up proper – and massages his jokes as he sees fit.

GROUNDING: Peter is a comedian who respects and takes heed of his own origins and his piers. Moreover, you can tell in each of his performances, how his humor derives from subjects that are close to his heart. His family – his friends – his surroundings – and those whom he observes from a far – these are the topics that feed him, which then inadvertently feeds us. Also, you can tell that he takes pride in his Bolton heritage – he thrives on observational humour – and that he is humble to his core.

DELIVERY: Irish comedian, Frank Carson, had a very nice catch phrase of – ‘It’s the way you tell them’. Now, to me, this is a very appropriate expression to illustrate how Peter does what he does. I like to think of him as a cross between of our Frank (in spirit), all round entertainer, Ronnie Barker (in tone), old school stand-up comedian, Bernard Manning (in mannerism), plus, his own special flavour too.

Here, have a look at this to see what I mean.

    

    

Overall, though, Peter Kay – plus this show ‘Peter Kay – Live at the Albert Hall’ – are very much two entities in their own right. They are both funny, they are both quick witted, they are both personable, and they are both associative too. Heck, in my opinion, the only thing wrong with this show, is that I would have liked to have seen more of it. Still, I am sure that Peters next offerings with satisfy me right down to the ground – he is a comedian who is well worth listening too.

THE RATING: A