Stand Up by Royal Appointment at the Theatre Royal Windsor Review
Stand Up
by Royal Appointment
Theatre Royal, Windsor
26 April 2015
Reviewed by Veronika Royle
The month is coming to an end and it’s been a tough one. What better than going out on the last Sunday of the month for a laugh and a giggle? Well if that is what you are after too, then there is no better place than heading to the Theatre Royal in Windsor. With plenty of parking (although we recommend the one behind Browns as it doesn’t shut straight after the show) and a full array of restaurants on hand you are in luck if you want to make a whole evening of it.
The theatre is on the foot of Windsor Castle so we thought that the title is absolutely appropriate. On site you have a little cafe which serves hot and cold beverages and cakes at usual theatre prices.
The host for the night was the acclaimed Matt Brown. We had previously come across him as a warm up for Greg Davies but had forgotten how funny he actually was. He absolutely got the very mixed Windsor crowd going and I was a little sad to see him go (I could easily go and just see him as a stand up.) The crowd, although not many was very – how shall we say it? – “interactive”, and most certainly up for a laugh. My favourite part was Matt, simply coming on stage and telling the crowd that he wanted to try out one-liners. So we were in for a treat. A reaction – regardless of a laugh or a deep breath, counted as a reaction and stayed in his script. Seriously I didn’t think that one liners could actually be that funny!!!
Andrew Maxwell was up next and boy, we were in for such a treat! Coming from Northern Ireland, he labelled himself as Ireland’s Greatest Wind-Up Merchant. He continued Matt’s theme of talking to the audience, including seeking out any international visitors and blended these nationalities perfectly into his comedy script. But no, he didn’t just laugh about other nationalities, he was very capable of making fun about his homeland. Joking about famous Northern Ireland landmarks, who would have guessed that the top one is the Titanic Museum with the actual slogan: It was fine when it left here!”
With Matt Brown coming up once more to prepare for the change over to the double act “The 2 Johns” aka Terry Alderton allowed us to catch a breath.
I had very little background on him and was quite surprised about the different genre of comedy. The “Two Johns” really didn’t work for Terry. The humour and jokes were more suited for the East End of London such as: “always bet on No 2” – referring to Greyhound Dog racing – and the punchline was “because I don’t like Orange”. Well with a Windsor crowd a Horse Racing joke would have probably come across a little better. And when the heckler is funnier than comedian, then the comedian is at risk of losing the crown. We felt it and unfortunately when Terry returned on stage he had completely lost his mojo. The crowd felt it too, the haggles didn’t work and people were unfortunately leaving.
Going by past comedians invited to Stand Up by Royal Appointment I trust that Terry had an off day. Comedians are only human after all and it although disappointed on the night, in reflection we had such a fantastic night, that we would definitely go again.
We would give this event still a 4 out of 5!
Rating: 4/5
Well if you consider it too, you are in luck! Stand Up by Royal Appointment is showing every last Sunday of the Month with the next show on 28th May and then again on 28th June. For tickets and next line-up please check www.theatreroyalwindsor.co.uk.
Theatre Royal Windsor, Thames Street, Windsor, Berkshire SL4 1PS | 01753 853 888
