Benefit in Aid of Alzheimer Scotland, The Stand

Published on Thursday 4 June 2009 09:35

Benefit in Aid of Alzheimer Scotland ****, The Stand

WHEN in a deep hole and offered a quick escape route it is tempting to stop digging, take the proffered ladder and get yourself out of there, sharpish.

No such mealy-mouthed cop-outs for Tom Stade, the Canadian comic who headlined last night's hilarious, outrageous and thoroughly thought-provoking benefit for Alzheimer Scotland at the Stand. He just carried right on digging, working through material which ranged freely back and forth across poverty, religion, terror and charity while dragging a trio of unwitting front row audience members along with him.

Had he stopped halfway through, his treatment of his audience would have lost him all respect. Instead he kept digging and both made friends with the front row and succeeded in exploring the strange and unusual double standards which have been forced upon our modern lives.

It was a brilliant end to the show, but even before Stade arrived on stage this was already a big-hitting four star evening. He just cranked up the danger to a decidedly uncomfortable level.

As comperes go, Bruce Devlin doesn't step too far outside the basics in terms of technique. Big, camp, and utterly waspish, what stands out is his outrageous knack of personally insulting the punters with a foul-mouthed tirade of abuse – while inexplicably keeping them completely on side.

It's a knack he uses to excellent effect – engaging the audience and getting them used to the level of vulgarity likely to be inflicted upon them later on – while giving them plenty of opportunities to remember how to let rip and laugh.

Opening act Derek Johnston did not initially give much cause to laugh, with his ponderous delivery and underdeveloped repartee. He looks funny though and has a sound idea of what it takes. Another relative newcomer, Kim MacAskill, is developing good rhythm but needs to expand beyond the home-life and condoms patter.

There is nothing stolid about Anil Desai, whose impressions are trumped only by their delivery. With each written on a playing card, an audience member reads them out while he morphs from one to the next with remarkable alacrity.

Its not just clever, but utterly hilarious to see the likes of the Godfather turn into Elmer Fudd and then ET. One to watch when he returns in August.

Had Australian comic Marcus Ryan been headlining, most people would still have been happy. His free-flowing delivery and exceptional take on standard stand-up material is worth catching at any time. One minute he is delivering accurate observations of Australian and British differences, the next depicting modern social networking tools as a dysfunctional family.

All told, Alzheimer Scotland succeeded in pulling a strong night together to benefit their work at www.alzscot.org