Joel Dommett: Happy Idiot 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 Helen O
It’s been far too long since we enjoyed a night of live comedy, so we were thrilled to be offered the opportunity to see Joel Dommett: Happy Idiot! when he called by Lighthouse, Poole this evening, for one night only. The anticipation was high — and we couldn’t wait to see what laughs were in store!
Following on from his hugely successful 2022 ‘Unapologetic’ tour, enormously popular and familiar face from off the TV, Joel Dommett, most notably of The Masked Singer fame (in our house, anyway) joyfully returned to his stand-up roots with a brand-new show – Joel Dommett: Happy Idiot. Appearing tonight at Lighthouse, Poole as part of the national tour.
We were seated in the middle of the Theatre and the auditorium was packed out tonight. Which is hardly a surprise, as Joel is one of the nation’s most familiar faces on TV and has become a firm favourite in UK households over the past few years, as one if the UK’s most trusted and beloved presenters.
From the moment Joel stepped onto the stage, we knew we were in for a treat. Within seconds, he’d roped in an unsuspecting audience member, as his support act, to help kick off the evening’s entertainment and from that point on, the laughter never let up.
It’s hard to imagine turning a simple request for a jug of water, but being delivered one without a glass into comedy gold, but somehow Joel absolutely nailed it. What could’ve been a throwaway moment became one of the night’s unexpected highlights, continuing throughout the performance #jugs!
Serving up not only hilarious but genuinely interesting anecdotes about his TV work and off-screen presenting gigs (which sound fantastic!), Joel had the audience in the palm of his hand. As avid Masked Singer fans, we especially loved hearing about the Macy Gray incident in all its glorious glory!
Joel possesses the ability to deliver excellent story-telling comedy. Our favourite moment of the night was when he described the circumstances of his wife in childbirth, followed by a theatrical depiction of this event, absolutely hilarious and had the audience roaring!
Being parents of young children ourselves, Joel’s anecdotes about having at 2 year old child, which were brilliantly relatable. He came across as such a down to earth, charming man. We thoroughly enjoyed our evening.
The show ran just shy of two hours, including a 20-minute interval. We were a little surprised by how brief the first half felt — around 35 minutes — but to be fair, that’s quite a long time for one person to keep a packed theatre laughing. The second half was longer, closer to 50 minutes, and just as entertaining.
One of the funniest moments came when Joel reassured the crowd he’d be done by 9.30pm, promising we’d all be home by 10. The collective sigh of relief from the adult audience was palpable — such a brilliantly British response!
We’d absolutely recommend Joel Dommett: Happy Idiot! Particularly if you could do with a hilarious evening’s entertainment, now the nights are turning dark and cold! The ticket prices were from £29.70 each and we think that’s great value for the performance we were treated to. Joel Dommett, Happy Idiot! Was appearing at Lighthouse, Poole for one night only, but you can find full tour dates here: https://www.joeldommett.com/gigs/
Rating: A hilarious 5/5
RRP: Tickets from £29.70
Address: Lighthouse, 21 Kingland Road, Poole, Dorset, BH15 1UG
Photo Credit: Joel Dommett: Happy Idiot!