A Comedy Night Out.

Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury

review by Owen Lewis

Fans arrived at Shrewsbury’s Theatre Severn with great expectation for A Comedy Night Out at Theatre Severn.

Though the audience was modest in size, the fiftysomething crowd looked forward to a night of laughs at the riverside venue.

A warm night of nostalgia and happiness with three comedians who used to be the best in Britain was in store.

Ian Sludge Lees, Duncan “Chase Me” Norvelle and the king of all stand-up, Frank Carson, were lining up to share their comedic gems. Well that was the theory.

You could however been forgiven for thinking you had actually slipped into a history lecture. The jokes were so old that they had probably been unearthed by Tony Robinson in Trench Three during an episode of Time Team.

The dust had been well and truly blown off all the gags like cars in a vintage rally. Ian Sludge Lees, wore a funny coat and had curly hair and a silly face. He did say something but it was lost in the sound of his own laughter.

“I love jokes, me” he explained, the perfect opportunity for a wise heckler to invite him to tell us some then. Sadly no-one did.

Duncan “Chase me” Norvelle got a few laughs from his stereotypical gay routine that just isn’t funny any more and Frank Carson, while proving he still has amazing timing and a great sense of fun, read a third of his act from a sheet of A4.

We had jokes uncomfortable close to being racist, sexist and homophobic – in fact, everything that reminded us why the nation turned on the trio and embraced alternative comedy.

Maybe they should have quit while they were once ahead because the style, delivery and material was just too old and dated. Or was it just the way Frank told ‘em?