Dom Joly: Conspiracy Tour At Lighthouse Poole Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Mel S-W
I was very much looking forward to seeing Dom Joly tonight for his Conspiracy Tour. The tour had taken a four month break and was back by popular demand and Lighthouse Poole was the first show of the second leg. Like most around my age (and no I’m not sharing that!) Dom Joly was a huge feature on Saturday night TV during my childhood and it wasn’t unusual to hear others copy the skit. That famous Nokia ringtone going off, the giant mobile phone, followed by HELLO…. I’M IN A THEATRE … I loved his comedic work so was intrigued to see what was in store for us tonight! Especially with some of the advertised one liners on the marketing “Just because you’re paranoid, doesn’t mean you’re not being followed” and my favourite “Due to the extremely controversial views aired in the show, security will be at an optimum and audiences are warned that angry demonstrations are very likely – or is that just another conspiracy?” So we didn’t know what to expect and the audience was a bit quiet to begin with but soon warmed up.
The Lighthouse is a great venue for all types of shows and has different venues available to accommodate. The building always feels a little like a Tardis because I often wonder how it all fits in. Tonight’s show was in the Theatre which is a great size space. We were in row F and we had a great view. Dom Joly was having technical issues with his microphone towards the end of the show but the theatre was small enough that he could project his voice without the use of one. The staff on the Box Office and those around the theatre are always so nice, especially when it’s busy. Drinks on the bar are also reasonably priced.
I didn’t know much about the show beforehand, but I learnt tonight that this was the 5th travel book that Dom Jolly had written, all with different topics. As well as The Conspiracy Tourist he also mentioned the Dark Tourist where he travelled to Chernobyl and an assassination tour of America. Some of the stories that he shared with us tonight were absolutely unbelievable… This man has created such an interesting life. I could have stayed in the theatre longer listening to the stories.
The Conspiracy Tourist book was released last year and the tour highlighted some of his discoveries as he travels the world investigating. Expect the likes of UFOs in Roswell, trying to prove that Finland exists and taking a flat-earther to the edge of the world. This isn’t a PowerPoint download. Dom Joly uses pictures, videos and graphics to bring his experiences to life.
The highly respected conspiracy theorist, Dr Julian Northcote, will also make an appearance. His promo video was hilarious… who knew cows were so dangerous! The show also allowed the audience to leave some questions in the interval. Question cards were left and Dom went through the majority of them at the end. The audience asked questions about Trigger Happy TV, his best moments in television and general funny moments. Like I said earlier I could have listened to stories for longer.
I wouldn’t normally have gone to a show such as this, but I really enjoyed it and haven’t stopped talking about it. It really does show what happens when people believe wholeheartedly in something or they are taken advantage of. With tickets priced from £30.25 it was a great price for a giggle. I will be keeping an eye out for other comedians at The Lighthouse as it’s such an intimate venue.
So if you are sat there wondering
Is the earth flat?
Did JFK commit suicide?
Is Denver Airport a massive panic room for the Illuminati?
Then this is the show for you! An interesting evening getting into the minds of conspiracy theorists and finding out what they believe.
Rating out 4 of 5 there were just a few teething problems being the first night of the leg but I really enjoyed it.
Tickets for the show started from £30.25
This was a one night show but the Lighthouse consists of multiple performance spaces such as the concert hall, theatre, smaller studios and a cinema so they have a host of things to pique your interest. Visit their What’s on guide here https://www.lighthousepoole.co.uk/whats-on/ https://www.domjoly.tv/dom-joly-tour/
Rating: 4/4
The full address is Lighthouse, Arts and Entertainment, 21 Kingland Road, Poole, Dorset, BH15 1UG