“Some people have said this show is more honest than funny,” Rob Brydon tells us at the start of this homecoming gig. Never was a less honest word spoken. Brydon is many things – several of them are on show this evening – but heart-on-sleeve isn’t one of them. Whether he’s playing the clown, crooner or chronicler of midlife indignity, it’s not to reveal anything significant about himself, but to amuse us. Paying tribute to his pal Ronnie Corbett, he recalls growing up in Port Talbot a devotee of 70s light entertainment. It’s a tradition into which this touring show fits as neatly as an imaginary ball into Eric Morecambe’s paper bag.
It’s part variety, part celebrity appearance and not much standup comedy. The first third is crowd-work, as Brydon garlands his audience with near-the-knuckle abuse about their dress sense and decrepitude. Comedy-wise, it doesn’t go much beyond that – but at least the usual barbs about crap local towns are distinguished here by Brydon’s first-hand knowledge. The central section finds the 53-year-old lamenting his bodily decline. He pisses weakly; he farts prodigiously. As does his sleeping wife: “I got out of the bed,” says Brydon, “I stood up, and I applauded!”
It’s first-base stuff, then, even if Brydon plays the hapless homebody to droll effect. Somehow, though, his self-deprecation doesn’t ring as true as the self-satisfaction elsewhere. It radiates from his stories of hobnobbing with Mick Jagger, say, and from the I’m a Celebrity set-piece flaunting his extraordinary gift for mimicry. (Of Radio 2 DJ Ken Bruce in particular.) When asked in the closing Q&A which younger comedians he admires, he can’t bring himself to name a single one.
Fair enough: tonight’s not about the future of comedy but the timeless pleasures of poking fun and singing along. And it ends strongly, as Brydon – guitar in hand – feigns impatience at the audience’s rubbish Bonnie Tyler rendition, and compels Huw from Row C to perform a glockenspiel solo on stage. This role, as the tetchy perfectionist for ever let down by his inept volunteers, finds Brydon at the funniest he’s been all night.
At Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff, until 13 October.
