UK Theatre Network

Reginald D Hunter at the Waterside Theatre, Aylesbury 1st November.

Stand-up comedy has to be the toughest job in showbiz and I have great admiration for anyone who can stand on stage alone and try to be funny. As an actress, I am used to having the support of other cast members and immerse myself in the character and the lines from the play. There is nothing quite like delivering a line that gets a laugh, particularly when it’s something you’ve written yourself. The stand-up comedian though is totally exposed and I can well imagine how it must feel to stand in front of a packed house of 1200 expectant people, all waiting for you to make them laugh! Perhaps that’s why they all resort to using expletives in every sentence to try and get an easy laugh and make them sound more macho and confident than they really feel?

Support comic, Steve Hughes, certainly used his fair share of expletives and has clearly been criticised for doing so. His take on this was to say that it was all subjective as to what people find offensive and he stated that he finds boy bands offensive! The hirsute comic had a lot of very interesting observations to make about the meaning of life, people and politics and is clearly a very intelligent and insightful man. This former rock musician kept the audience amused for 50 minutes, which is no mean feat for an unknown support comic.

Reginald D Hunter’s wry sense of humour and easy charm have made him a very popular regular guest on TV’s ‘Have I Got News For You?’ and I’m sure that’s what helped to fill the theatre. We are used to him looking very dapper in his sharp suits on TV, but on stage he was in trainers and jeans looking very relaxed and confident on the huge stage (though that may have been helped by the constant supply of vodka!).

Reginald’s resonant, seductive, deep south Georgia accent draws you in and you feel you could be entertained by just sitting and listening to him talk! His astute observations on the differences between the British and the Amercian cultures brought some uneasy laughter, as people recognised the accuracy of his remarks. He mocks the PC society where people have become so afraid to be seen as racist they daren’t say anything for fear of offending someone.

 It was interesting to hear him talk about his abusive mother and incorporating this into his act has probably been good therapy for him. His final words about how it has made him a stronger person said a lot about where his sense of humility came from.

The tour continues until the end of November and dates can be seen on www.reginald.dhunter.co.uk

For details of the exciting new programme at The Waterside, vist www.ambassadortickets.com/aylesbury or call 0844 871 7665. Yvonne Delahaye