Raising the roof at the Edge: A night of comedy and mayhem
The Edge Arts Centre in Much Wenlock hosted a gloriously unhinged evening of comedy on Saturday, steered with fearless charm by MC Pam Bates.
Despite technical hiccups Bates powered through with her trademark Aussie-Brit bluntness. Her tales of growing up a “Braussie” (half Brummie, half Aussie) after her parents joined the Ten Pound Pom migration were delivered with irresistible swagger. Add in singalongs of Can’t Take My Eyes Off You and Don’t You Want Me Baby, and a piece about her mother’s dread of public toilets, and Pam proved herself both the glue and occasional chaos agent of the night.
Magician-comedian Sean Heydon then detonated the energy level with amazing card tricks involving baffled audience members. Heydon’s madcap style peaked with a riotous shouty routine in which he correctly identified randomly assigned playing cards held up by members of the front row during which it became clear why he’s been dubbed “Britain’s Got Talent’s Most Jaw-Dropping Magician.”
Musical whirlwind Duncan Oakley kept the pace high with hillbilly banjo riffs and his own surprising harmonica prowess (“didn’t know I could do that”). His BBC Singing Together parody and a proposed new national anthem were particular highlights - equal parts silly and sneakily smart.
Headliner Scott Bennett closed the night with an effortlessly controlled masterclass in stand-up. Claiming the gig felt “less like a show and more like a natural disaster,” he skewered everything from Smart Meters (“Anxiety Boxes”) to stressful family holidays, from a loft full of his children’s abandoned hobbies to the perils of being too old for music festivals. His vivid contrast between appearing at the Edge and the Royal Albert Hall, along with his description of a sneeze from the front row that “sounded like someone treading on a spaniel’s toe,” had the audience howling. Judging from the rolling laughter, Bennett’s 15 years of graft have built to exactly this kind of triumphant, roof-raising moment, even though he wasn’t quite sure exactly where he was, or why he was there.
The next edition of the Edge Comedy Club is a Christmas Special on Saturday, December 13, featuring Paul Kerensa, Daliso Chaponda and Jo Enright, when acts will be performing clean swear-free sets suitable for ages 11+. Tickets for all events at The Edge Arts Centre are available at ticketsource.co.uk/edgeartscentre
