"The Comedy about Spies" is superb

We knew exactly what was going to happen when someone shouted “Raise the alarm!”. But it was still funny. That’s a huge tribute to writing, performing and set design. It takes a lot of work to be that silly, that quickly. Not all the lines were that good/bad. But there were so many of them, they came so fast and they were performed with such conviction that the packed audience, including us, were swept along. We got running gags, set pieces, impressive staging and good ice-cream. And they even found time for an engaging story with some poignant endings.

We were at “The Comedy about Spies”, part of our mini-mini-break to London. The very first element of the break was an exciting edge of the seat experience provided by the British Rail transport network which, by the simple expedient of making one train late, added a lot of excitement to what should have been a routine journey. “Would we arrive in time to see our next train leaving the station?”. Who knew? Certainly not anyone in charge of the network. As it turned out the train we were meeting was also late and, in a magical plot twist, not even the train we were expecting so our seat reservations didn’t work. Ho hum.

Anyhoo, we got to London, had a walk around and then headed to the play. It was really good. I take my stupidity very seriously and this stuff was done very well indeed. Strongly recommended.

Pro tip: The seats that we had (Row U in the stalls) where somewhat cheaper because of their “limited view”. This didn’t reduce our enjoyment (they had a video screen showing the bits we couldn’t see). If you want to reduce the price of your great night out you should go for them.

Comedy Rob

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Since some folk think I've been doing stand up comedy since I started lecturing (it's not true, I set down sometimes) I've decided to have a go at "proper" stand-up. 

I've been given a chance by those brave people at LabRascals to do a slot at the "Geeks vs. Nerds" event on the 21st of March at the Piper Club on Newland Avenue (note to self, find out where the club is before the 21st). The blurb says: Several Fascinating and Hilarious ‘Geeks and Nerds’ Take the Stage to Tell Their Best Joke in Style. Whatever.

The organizers have taken the sensible precaution of having a proper comedian along as well. So for your 6 pound entry fee (5 if you book in advance) you also get to see the wonderful Helen Keen.  Find out more (and book tickets) here.