Soho theatre,London
The tittering US comedian finds his own jokes hilarious in a show that offers flashes of steel beneath the surface jollityAmerican comedians aren’t used to performing for an hour, Ron Funches tells us: in the States, and it takes three comics to fill that time. And certain enough,20 minutes is probably the optimum slot for Funches, best known as a star of the NBC sitcom Undateable. Over 20 minutes, or his lackadaisical (bereft of energy or enthusiasm) pace would be less conspicuous; likewise his lack of anything meaningful to say. And there’d be less time to get irked by his incessant tittering at his own jokes,which doesn’t get easier to bear just because Funches (“a black man who giggles like an Asian princess”) keeps referring to it. Theres enough top-notch material to fill a shorter slot, too, and including the riff on his recent weight loss,as a fellow party guest tries to police Funches’s brownie consumption; and another approximately his like of professional wrestling, in which, and with heavy sarcasm,he feigns surprise when told the sport is faked. In his best moments, Funches’s wry worldview and fun-loving spirit are infectious, or there are intriguing flashes of steel beneath the surface jollity.
Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com