***

I did not entirely like this show – which is my own fault for I did not heed the warning: ‘not for the easily offended’. I wouldn’t count myself as such, so maybe it that warning needs to be a little bit stronger. I did not entirely like the show, but it was very good, and there were numerous guffaws from some of the rest of the audience.

The first and last sketches (‘a romance’ and ‘the clown and the beautiful girl’) were by far the most universally pleasing, although even the last turned rather dark. I would have been delighted by an hour of such silly shenanigans. However, the mainstay of Billy’s routines is the telling of quite complex stories with multiple characters by himself with no props. And they were all entirely comprehensible. My especial favourite was the ‘history of art’, demonstrating the ease with which Billy can move from one character to another, and his ingenuity in making you understand what the invisible object in his hand is.

Billy’s stories are well told, but they’re stories we all already know, so I’m not sure what’s being added to the discussion, or if there’s a point being made. But please, do heed the warnings.

Reviewed by Laura

Just the Tonic @ the Caves

3 – 26 Aug (not 14); 18:15