It was another really enjoyable evening of comedy at Komedia Bath last night with the arrival of Michael Spicer, who has rightly earned a great following thanks to his excellent The Room Next Door podcasts.
Michael Spicer is one of those “Oh yeah, I’ve seen him on the telly,” type of comedians – you might not recognise his name but if you watch The Mash Report or The Late Late Show with James Corden, you’ll know his face.
There’s more chance, however, that Michael is best known for The Room Next Door, where he plays a frustrated advisor desperately trying to help the likes of Boris Johnson, Donald Trump, Prince Andrew and various other politicians, pop stars and billionaires get their way through awkward interviews, with him becoming more and more angry as his famous clients get their cues wrong again and again.
His show at the Komedia basically takes his audience on a trail, explaining how the act developed, starting really as something to do during lockdown. The result is almost a greatest hits show of somebody who most people have never heard of. Still, the result, at its best, is extremely funny, albeit – thanks to the ineptitudes of the apparently leading figures featured – also undeniably cringeworthy. I mean, seriously Priti Patel, surely you understand the difference before terrorism and counter-terrorism… don’t you?
OK, yes, some of the stand-up style material wasn’t perhaps as sharp as it could be, however, it was always rescued by another example of a politician getting it wrong, with Boris Johnson being the predictable source of much of the humour, while the Donald Trumps senior and junior must also get honourable mentions for ineptitude.
The result was hugely enjoyable and very clever, and absolutely suitable for older children (Komedia suggested 11+).
For details of more upcoming comedy, go to www.komedia.co.uk/bath