Introducing himself as the support act, Paul Foot appears on stage in a characteristically eccentric get-up, complete with mullet and baby fringe. The audience are won over in an instant. He begins by presenting to the audience with a Neighbourhood Watch garden party, at which one is almost certain to encounter a racist on the staircase, or a homophobe on the patio. The ridiculousness of homophobia is the main source of comedy for the first half of the show, as Foot questions the hypocrisy of homophobes, for behind every ‘gay baby’ is a pair of heterosexuals.
The second part of the show is more alternative than the opening. Foot sets the tone with a ‘disturbance’ – a joke read from the back of one of his personally produced hand decorated cards (which, incidentally, are available for purchase at the end of the show, although somewhat inconveniently for Foot seeing as they’re part of the act). The following forty-something minutes are interspersed with these ‘disturbances’, which never fail to appeal to the audience for their absurdity, and the way in which Foot delivers them with long, drawn-out pauses in a high-pitched voice. Similar in appeal to his ‘disturbances’ are what he describes as his ‘madness’ – a series of seemingly random, at times bemusing, phrases (‘you look like a Hispanic bathtub’), fired at the audience one after another. He tells the audience they will laugh for about five minutes, but without knowing why.
Highlights of the show included a four and a half minute rant about toast, prior to which Foot advised the audience of the duration of the rant, and that he may appear to become quite angry. Also, Foot’s musings on the living room and how it’s the most depressing room in the house (although anything’s better than lingering in the hallway) were particularly witty.
Overall, it was a great night of alternative comedy at Just the Tonic. The venue was packed and Paul Foot was on form, hilarious and brilliant.
Review by Rachael Ward
