Vittorio Angelone bounds onto the stage wearing two pairs of shades in honour of his hero, the bowler, Pete Weber. We all know Pete Weber, right? He gestures to the two giant inflatable bowling pins on either side of the stage. The audience goes quiet. Most of us don’t, it seems. This is meat and drink to Angelone, whose responses to audience reactions are lightning-quick. He gives a hilarious explanation of his new show’s title, acting out Weber’s exultant if incoherent cry of: ‘Who do you think I am? I am!
Angelone’s comic persona is a mixture of cheeky jibes and self-deprecation. His energy never flags. He talks about his name – his father is Italian, but Angelone himself was brought up in Belfast. It gives him his USP. He can’t even speak Italian. But he has a very funny story about supporting Italy in the European World Cup. When Italians around him assume his green shirt means he’s one of them, he’s reduced to blurting out the names of pasta.
In fact, he draws a lot on feeling like an outsider. He moans that he’s never been able to make it onto TV. But at the same time, says he finds it hard to be in touch with his feelings. He has a lovely riff on this – talking of his unprocessed happiness and being clinically chipper. But there’s a sense of unease when he talks with apparent glee about how other comedians don’t like him. You can see why, as a section of his routine involves him making fun of several well-known ones.
The show darkens further when Angelone confides he’s seeking medical confirmation that he’s autistic. He deals with this theme skillfully, but when the audience goes quiet this time, there’s a sense that this intimate material perhaps needs further processing. He’s very funny when he considers this may indeed be his ticket to TV, but it’s edgy stuff. He can be a bit unfiltered – well, that’s where so much good comedy comes from – but the set is too long. The show, including an excellent support act by Liam Withnail, runs to two hours, and although Angelone looks as if he could go on for longer, the material has run a bit thin.
Runs until 8 March 2024 then touring
For tickets and more info, visitwww.vittorioangelone.com
The Reviews Hub Score
Gleeful stuff
