Tonight we caught the second part of Justin Hamilton‘s trilogy. We were forewarned with the knowledge that this was the downbeat part and also that the musical theme at the start of the show would be the Beach Boys (anyone who doesnt think the Beach Boys and sadness and introspection cant possibly go together should go and buy/download a copy of Pet Sounds immediately).

As with the first show it was straight into the action from the start with Hamilton setting an almost breathless pace. Not having seen him before these shows, I dont know if thats typical of his delivery or whether it may be a result of fitting a lot of material into a limited amount of time.

Something I had already picked up on in the first show was that it came across as something of a monologue. This may sound like an odd thing to say about stand up comedy – isnt it always a monologue? Some performers actively seek the participation of the audience, but even with those that dont, many comics leave space in their delivery as if allowing time for the audience to digest and react. Hamilton’s very nearly hyper delivery doesnt ignore the audiences need to feel a part of a conversation, but it certainly doesnt indulge it either and there were times, particularly in the more tragic parts of the tale where I felt that Hamilton could wring a great deal more emotion out of the work with slower pacing, different emphasis and by leaving a little more space.

Its nothing if not a good story tho, and I’m already looking forward to seeing the third and final part.
Xx

Stand Up Comedy

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