Punchline Media – The Chuckle Club – The British Club
March 20 - 26, 2013
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I love stand up comedy and even with a severely painful infection in my lower intestine, I still managed to drag my aching body out of bed to make it to the Punchline show, a testament to its pulling power … I was just thankful I wasn’t the one standing up!
The show took place over two nights in two locations, one at the British Club Bahrain and the other at the InterContinental Regency hotel.
I’ve been to most of the previous Punchline shows at the hotel and I’ve always enjoyed the phenomenal talent the Chuckle Club delivers. However, while the hotel is undoubtedly a lovely venue, the expensive refreshments are no laughing matter.
This time I went to see the acts at the British Club and the change of venue was refreshing and gave the show a more relaxed and intimate feel. With tables set up and free flowing snacks and beverages available, everyone was enjoying themselves before the comedians even took to the stage.
The first act was Jarlath Regan a likeable Irishman who started off slow, partly due to a few heckles, but when eventually the interruptions stopped, his well-constructed act flourished. Some of his best gags included trying to look serious while eating crisps and women’s sarcastic facial expressions.
Next up was Joe Lycett, an extroverted and flamboyant character to say the least. His funniest moments came from interacting with the crowd, particularly Philip, an unfortunate soul sitting front row centre that he took a shine to. He had the audience in stitches with his limited Arabic, randomly quipping ‘salam alaykum’ whenever it took his fancy. He ended his set by reading a series of hilarious correspondence with a disgruntled TV viewer.
Sadly, comedy is kill or die and the last act, Diane Spencer, died a painful death on stage. Unfortunately her act just didn’t resonate with the crowd, which was a shame because she showed so much enthusiasm.
It was flabbergasting to hear such cringe-worthy filth coming from the mouth of a woman who looked so innocent. I certainly don’t mind filthy humour, in fact, it’s my favourite kind, as long as it’s clever and not just shocking for the sake of being shocking.
However, all in all, it was a great night in a refreshingly casual venue and I have no doubt that Punchline will continue to raise the bar for future acts and keep the kingdom laughing.
