After a restrained start, the opening night of Stewart Lee’s comedy heroes series certainly made its mark. Lee compered with his slow-burn satire and support act Simon Munnery garnered respectable giggles as punk pamphleteer Alan Parker but it was Johnny Vegas who ignited proceedings by diving into the audience.
The slimmer, newly divorced Vegas showed no sign of ring-rustiness. Despite his success, he was still the same savage tornado of shameless self-loathing, bitterness and regret that rocketed him to prominence in the Nineties. Only his trademark pottery wheel was missing.
Actually, some material was missing too. Vegas, always a riveting tragi-comic presence, only really had one anecdote. But it was beautifully delivered, half-Alan Bennett, half-Charles Bukowski, regarding a visit to a strip club in his St Helens hometown. Mid-bump and grind the lapdancer leaned forward and asked: "How’s your mam doing?"
Vegas may not have had much in the way of a routine but he managed to finish in unforgettable style, having a front-row fan carried onstage like the dead Snow White and serenading her back to life like a safari-jacketed anti-Russell Brand. Not the best gig ever, but definitely unique.
Fridays until 23 May. (thebloomsbury.com; 0871 2200 260)
Stewart Lee Presents The Ten Best Stand-ups In The World... Ever
The Bloomsbury Theatre
Gordon Street, WC1H 0AH
