one4review | On 17, Aug 2025

I’ve been a fan of Russell Hicks and his brand of comedy for a while now, and watching his “Work in Progress” show was superb.  It gives a proper insight into how clever comedy is crafted into what will hopefully become a long running sell-out show.

He has a wonderful laid-back style, but this doesn’t detract in any way from the cleverly constructed stories and jokes that he delivers over and over again.  Working from reams of notes, gauging his crowd and re-affirming what works and importantly doesn’t work, he manages to cover a huge variety of topics.

One of my personal highlights was a section legacy and in particular what some really famous people are remembered for.  Typically, all their good work flies out the window and it’s the scandal or the wrong doings that stick in everyone’s mind.  A very clever piece and very funny.

Some nice crowd work adds to the appeal of this show, and his stint as a cruise ship comedian is absolutely superb and resonates with anyone who’s been on-board a floating buffet.

This show already has good bones, with lots of really awesome observations, I’m keen to see how this develops and look forward to seeing him again next year.

3.5*

Reviewed by Gavin

Ballroom, Laughing Horse  at the Counting House

17:30

Until 24^th Aug