The king of improvised comedy makes another welcome return to Huddersfield’s Lawrence Batley Theatre to tour his Edinburgh spectacle No Show. His annual autumnal sold-out visit has become something of a yearly treat for his audience who return time and again to see Byrne’s wild and exciting mind splurge comedic mayhem.
The evening starts with a class register. This might happen in other venues on the tour but the beauty of Byrne’s live shows is that he makes the audience and venue feel special and that the show they are witnessing can only be performed for them. The regulars sit in the same seats: the bus driver front and centre (this time with extended family and friends occupying the entire front row!); the student/now graduate in the balcony who, over the years, has been replaced with a cardboard cut-out on the occasions he couldn’t make the show; the affectionately titled ‘bitches’ who sit centre stalls wearing hip-hop clothing and the boy that attends with parents and grandparents who has been made to squirm in his seat many times much to the embarrassed delight of the rest of the audience. Over ninety percent of the crowd are returnees and once checked in Byrne is unleashed.
Recently completing his twentieth anniversary of performing at the Edinburgh festival, Byrne structures his show with a thirty minute ‘warm-up’ and check-in with the regulars, a quick rehearsal of a possible audience-participatory finale before an interval and his one-hour Edinburgh show. To find a title or theme each year for a performer who relies on audience improvisation for approximately half of his show is no mean feat. This year, Byrne has bitten the bullet with No Show. It implies that he may improvise the entire set. Although Byrne does give this impression it is not entirely true. Byrne has some great observational material and is as his best when reliving 1980s nostalgia. The material involving the fair ‘wizard’ who runs the waltzers and bumper cars could be taken from a Peter Kay routine and the story of his mum loaning his dad her dentures meaning she whistles as she speaks was a particular highlight. As ever, Byrne ends his shows with surreal audience participation. This year, his (un)willing volunteers donned cloud hats and ordered food from a restaurant as well as singing Video Killed the Radio Star. A crowd pleasing crescendo but perhaps a little too strange to make any sense whatsoever!
No doubt the regulars will have pencilled in their plans for this time next year when Byrne will ridicule them once again. There is a mutual love between this performer and audience, however, that means he is pretty much allowed to do what he wants to them. Byrne shows no signs of slowing down. It is like he is conducting electricity when he performs: several steps ahead of his next thought and intended victim. No two shows are ever the same!
Reviewed on 14th October 2024.
The Reviews Hub Score
Improvised comedy genius
