Simon Evans at The Lowry Review
Simon Evans
Leashed Tour
The Lowry, Manchester
Reviewed by Victoria Daubney
I love going to The Lowry Theatre at Salford Quays in Manchester. The building is so impressive and modern with its funky architecture. It’s a refreshing change from the more traditional theatres you commonly see. I arrived by taxi and so was dropped off just outside the venue. There is a designated drop off point, as you can’t drive right up to the doors. For anyone coming by car there is a huge car park just across from the theatre in the Lowry Outlet Mall, so there is no worry about not getting a parking spot.
Once inside the theatre it is very clean with open spaces and decorated in bright colours. The staff are all really friendly and always have a smile for you as you pass them.
On this occasion I was here with a friend to see the comedian Simon Evans. There are two different theatres inside the Lowry and Simon Evans was performing in the smaller of the two, the Quay Theatre. To get there we were directed round towards the back of the building, and a few minutes later we walked into the bar area for the Quay Theatre.
After asking at the bar we found out that you were only able to take drinks into the theatre that were in plastic bottles or cans. Whilst I totally understand the reasons for not taking glass in, I would have expected them to have plastic glasses that you could pour your drinks in to and then take them with you, but this wasn’t an option which was a shame.
When we found our seats it was a pleasant surprise to discover how comfortable they were. Due to the size of the theatre as well it made for an intimate feeling, and I think the view of the stage from any of the seats would have been a good one.
Simon Evans came on and straight away the jokes were flowing. He was relaxed on stage and connected with the audience, especially those unfortunate enough to be in his view on the front row! There was nothing offensive in the humour, and you could relate to the situations he was talking about.
All together the show was 90 minutes long, with a short interval in the middle. The second half of the show was centred around Simon’s new addition to his family – his dog. Being a dog owner myself, I found this section particularly accurate and highly amusing. The show was a laugh a minute with Simon covering topics ranging from Brighton hen parties to family life.
Overall it was a highly enjoyable evening and I would recommend going to see Simon Evans for a guaranteed night of easy laughs.
Rating: 4/5
Simon Evans is currently touring the UK with his Leashed tour until August 2014.
The Lowry, Pier 8, Salford Quays, Manchester, M50 3AZ | Box Office 0843 208 6000
