Review: Andy Parsons 'Gruntled' - O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, London
Unfortunately, Andy Parsons didn't quite live up to my expectations throughout the night.
Gruntled - his one man stand-up offering is lacking... well... comedy.
The evening started with a very odd Stephen Hawkins kind of voiceover, which was difficult to comprehend, audibly it wasn't clear what words were being said, and it just didn't make any sense. Great start to the show.
As the show progressed, Andy was talking about various news events, politicians etc and giving his verdict on the stories with his satirical thoughts... now this is all good on Mock The Week when he has another six comedians on hand to spar and banter with, it really shows his comedy flair on the TV.
But to do it by yourself for an hour and a half, it really does fall flat on it's face, as the squabbling isn't there, the interjections from others isn't there, it just doesn't work.
The saving grace Andy had was the ad-libs he was doing, and the fact that it was being recorded for DVD, a few out-takes might make it to the DVD, as these were, to be honest, the funniest parts of the night. A few heckles also helped, along with a true, funny story about finding some underpants in some mayonnaise - and I will never forget the underground!
I think Andy needs to keep this kind of material for the TV and Mock The Week, and come up with some fresh, vibrant observational comedy for his live shows.
If you are a fan of Andy on Mock The Week, then you may enjoy the DVD, but it does get tiresome after a while.
