LATITUDE 2015: The Last Leg Live

Artist(s): Adam Hills, Josh Widdicombe, Alex Brooker
Venue: The Comedy Tent
Reviewer: Glen Pearce

Often live versions of a TV show hits miss the mark. Trying to recreate a much-loved format in front of a live audience is a challenge. When that live audience is a festival audience the challenge is even greater.

The Last Leg,though, is a perfect fit for festival fare, its improvised style and audience interaction a winning formula. It’s a formula that obviously appeals, with Latitude’s Comedy tent not only full half an hour prior to the show but the overflow spilling 20 deep outside the tent.

Latitude itself provides plenty of material for the trio, though with the shock revelation that Latitude is no longer the country’s poshest festival. That title can now be claimed by the Henley Festival, serving confit of duck from their food vans.

Topical, sailing close to the wind but never crossing the line, the trio recognise that this family audience may be different from their usual audience but weaves that beautifully into their set. Young Finlay in the audience is gently mocked but he’s reassured that even though Adam Hills may be an Australian entertainer, in this post Operation Yew-tree environment he’s safe.

With guest appearances from fellow comedy tent performers Romesh Raganathan and Sara Pascoe, as well as some wonderfully observed festival themed questions from the audience means this hour of comedy is real comedy value for money.

Beer may have been thrown onto the stage but it’s a carefully constructed piece of the action that the aides lap up.

There may be a few heavy heads in the tent, first thing on a Sunday nor ring after a weekend of revelry but The Last Leg is an appropriately titled, and well executed show to begin a long final day of Latitude 2015.