Catherine Bennett resumes the weekly look at the performing arts world, with the sad end of Jerusalem, the luck of a cabbie, and French revolt. Do you hear the people sing?
Adam Alcock reviews Nigel Kennedy playing Vivaldi's Four Seasons and his own Four Elements at York Opera House.
Catherine Bennett highlights the trends in the performing arts world today.
Jonathan Cridford reviews 'Ghosts', one of the Freshers' plays for this year.
Jackass was a cultural phenomenon when it hit our TV screens in the year 2000, and it showed that its simple charm endures with ‘Jackass 3D’ making a big splash at the box office in 2010. Steve-O (Stephen Glover to give him his proper name) was always a leading face of the franchise and embodied what Jackass was about, pure entertainment... at any cost! The price paid was, more often than not, physical pain for the long suffering stuntman; however Steve-O has now left behind his daredevil displays (well almost!) to pursue a quieter life on the comedy circuit.
Some will probably sneer at the idea of a (in his own words) Professional Idiot taking on the notoriously difficult, brutal and lonely world of stand up comedy and to be honest the night did make an auspicious start. 18-year-old Lewis Costello did his level best to warm up a decidedly frosty crowd. Although the Blackburn-born comic looked to have some talent his lack of confidence didn’t lie well with the hostile crowd. He left the stage fairly sharpish and I started to fear for the worst.
My worry was in vain. Steve-O came out to a rapturous applause clearly with a dedicated group of fans present. His charisma could be felt instantly throughout the venue as his trademark boyish snigger filed out of the speakers. Steve-O went on to deliver what I can only describe as a unique comedy experience, but one that I enjoyed thoroughly. His style is candid and self deprecating and very much suited an English audience. Naturally Steve-O has a shed full of otherworldly anecdotes from the 10-year whirlwind that was the Jackass franchise. It was the way he used his extraordinary experiences to produce some real top quality (if pretty crude) comedy that impressed me.
As one might expect from the tour title, the show did not shy away from the gory, but often hilarious, details of Steve-O’s tumultuous existence. After touching upon his battles with addiction, Jackass memories and sexual experiences, Steve-O inevitably rounded the gig off with some trademark tricks. When a comic is literally on fire at the end of his set you know it’s been a worthwhile trip! A surprisingly good start to a fledgling comedy career, much potential here.
You must log in to submit a comment.
