one4review | On 09, Aug 2023

The thing that elevates this show above mere reminscences of a comedian’s life (although were it only that it would still be scintillating and worth watching) is the passion and the sincerity. Mr Ince talks fast and starts so many stories and is losing his voice after less than a week not because of the ADHD, but because he loves the thing so much and wants to tell everyone everything all at once.

This show is indeed a love song, an hour long explosion of the passion he has for comedy, of what he fell in love with, how he squished it out of himself trying to fit into boxes, and how he’s rediscovered that passion. Mr Ince discusses the difference between ‘showbiz’, the aim of success and fame, and comedy as an art form, of making things you love, because you love them, and because the making and the creating is joyful. This show is in that space: Mr Ince has made a thing he loves, about a thing he loves, and is passionate about, and it shines.

The show is a bit like a scrapbook, or perhaps a sketchbook: full – stuffed – with anecdotes about people he knows or has known, gigs he’s done, bits of other people’s material that sing to him, little bits of philosophy and thinkings, images, memories, emotions. There are many things in this show – including copious laughter and perhaps some tears – but there’s something for everyone. Take what you need from it – smashed melons or gossip about comedians – and love things, wildly, before they’re gone.

Reviewed by Laura

The Stand New Town Theatre
20:35 (1hr)
Until 27th (not 15th)