Reviewed by Louise Watts
Being a stand-up comedian must be one of the most nerve-wracking career choices available! You walk on stage to an audience full of strangers that you know nothing about and hope beyond anything that they actually have a sense of humour and are going to find you funny!
On Friday night, I attended The Hawth theatre in Crawley, Sussex to see up and coming American comedian Alex Edelman. Alex ‘s talent is clear to see and his name is becoming more well known by the day. He won the Best Newcomer award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2014 and has grown in both confidence and popularity since. He is a regular on Radio 4 also with his “Millennial” show.
Currently touring the UK and sharing his incredible jokes and comedy with us Brits, he did not disappoint in his efforts to make the modest sized audience laugh. There were a few members of the audience who clearly knew far more about him and his comedy than I did, and they made no secret of the fact that they found him very funny. I would think as a stand-up comedian, you are very pleased to have people like that amongst your audience. The show took place in The Studio at The Hawth which is an intimate venue with a capacity of around 100 – 150. Sadly, there were several empty seats but it felt small and cosy and Alex did not seem at all put off by the empty seats. Anyone that considered coming and didn’t, it was you that missed out on a humour packed evening.
Alex made some cracking jokes and told some amazing one-liners, but what impressed me more than anything else was his ability to learn his material but to deliver it in a way that was not scripted or rigid and gave you the impression he was taking things as they came. How he remembered an hour or so’s worth of jokes and stories with no mistakes is also a very impressive talent and something I would never be able to achieve.
He clearly bases a lot of his material on his Jewish roots and he had the perfect balance between it being funny but not offensive which is sometimes a difficult balance to get right. I like it when comedians use a story as a framework for their jokes and this was the case with Alex, the story being based around a “meeting” he attended!
At the end of the show, Alex offered the audience the opportunity to meet and chat to him in the foyer which was a nice touch.
The staff at The Hawth, were friendly and happy to assist wherever possible which is one of the reasons I love visiting The Hawth. The bar was open selling alcoholic and soft drinks and snacks. Parking is available on site and in the many years I have been visiting The Hawth, I have never had any problem parking my car.
I would thoroughly recommend seeing Alex Edelman if you get the chance, you will have aching abs the next day from laughing and you will certainly not be disappointed!
Rating: 4/5
Alex Edelman is currently on tour around the UK, for more information and tour dates,visit www.alexedelmancomedy.com.
For other shows at The Hawth in Crawley visit hawth.co.uk or call the box office on 01293 553636.
The Hawth, Hawth Avenue, Crawley, Sussex, RH10 6YZ | 01293 553636
