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Roger Rabbit once said: “A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it’s the only weapon we have.” Not a bad ideology for a fictitious cartoon rabbit.
The laughter at the recent Chuckle Club event was indeed powerful, thanks to the pairing of an enthusiastic crowd and top talent. Held over three nights at the Bahrain Rugby Club, The British Club and the Intercontinental Regency, the show featured some hilarious performers: Adam Bloom, Silky and James Acaster.
First on stage was Silky … that’s right, just Silky, no surname … and why would he need one with gags as smooth as his bald head.
He was brilliant, taking the time to get to know the crowd while seamlessly working in his rehearsed material.
His light-hearted and friendly tone was complimented by his gift for painting disturbing mental images, some of which included members of the audience, namely the very large Paddy and the very small grandmother Eileen.
The act was a mix of slapstick visual gags and banter with the crowd, which went down really well, so much so that he was bumped from MC to performer.
Next up was James Acaster, a young man who lives by the Weetabix factory in the UK … it doesn’t sound great now but I assure you, the way he delivers it makes it hilarious.
He has a deadpan style of delivery which was met with trepidation by the crowd, to their loss because I really enjoyed it. His style is very subdued, he takes his time with his set which is a risky move. He managed to have everyone in the room smiling throughout but sadly had very few big laughs.
I’m sure his quirky and inoffensive blend of humour would have gone down much better with a younger crowd.
Rounding off the evening’s entertainment was Adam Bloom, a man so loud and full of energy, he actually abandoned the microphone early in his set.
He bounced around the stage from one end to the other as if someone had plied him with Red Bull and blue Smarties before he got on stage.
He had some great gags about bilingual beggars in Canada, blind people being given pointy sticks to pick up rubbish on the street and being allowed to swear as a child.
However, his best moments came from interacting with the crowd, particularly with Eileen and her daughter in the front row.
This was one of the best shows to date. I left grasping my stomach in hysterics, clearly I’d been beaten with laughter!
– Charlie Holding
