Ed Byrne Spoiler Alert Live at The Lowry, Manchester Review

Reviewed by Lucy Gwilliam

Ed Byrne returned last night (25 February 2018) to The Lowry Theatre, Salford, Manchester. He was here to perform his recent standup show ‘Spoiler Alert’. The show name suggests that there is more to be revealed, and it is actually that we are all becoming so spoilt in modern times. Whether is it our giant trampolines that seem to have become a necessity in gardens, and as Ed divulged, his children’s’ is bigger than his first flat or our unnecessary trips to Lapland to treat our children, for them to not appreciate all of the hassle and hard work it takes to get them there. And as Ed explains, he is spoilt and so are his kids.

For most part of the show, Ed is describing how spoilt his children are, this often leads off to more anecdotes, but he’s does finish the story, even if it takes until after the interval. He had started a story just before the interval about how his youngest son had wanted to touch an electric fence, this led onto his love for the outdoors and stories of him walking in the Peak District – something my husband and I could relate to as we had been walking in the Peak District the day before – we found the jokes relevant and very funny, getting funnier, the more of his cider he drank and as the show went on.

After his tangent, he turns to the audience and explains that he had started a story about his son and an electric fence, then asked “you thought I forgot, didn’t you?” The conclusion was worth it, and you could see so many couples looking at each other and laughing in agreement.

One of my favourite parts of the show was the “Trump” jokes and his impression of a signer doing the deaf sign for Donald Trump. It was brilliant.

Another memorable moment of the evening was when he describes how he ran out of petrol in his spoilt car the Volvo XC90 and ended up pulling down right outside a lady’s front door of her house. This was another relatable moment, as my husband did the exact same thing in the same car when we had it for a courtesy car, only he didn’t park blocking someone’s exit from their home, he blocked a road. My husband and I found this part hilarious.

Overall, the show was excellent. The jokes were relevant, relatable and extremely funny.

Rating: 5/5

Ed Byrne is currently on tour around the UK with Spoiler Alert, for more information and tour dates visit edbyrne.com.

For other shows at The Lowry in Manchester visit www.thelowry.com or call the box office on 0843 208 6000.

The Lowry, Pier 8, Salford Quays, Manchester, M50 3AZ | 0843 208 6000