For those unfamiliar with the legendary comic, Bill Hicks was a trailblazing American comedian of the eighties and early nineties who died of cancer in 1994 at the age of thirty two. He was know for his associations with drugs of all kinds and his caustic, inflammatory on-stage rants, grounded in integrity and the rawest honesty. He is still revered by many as one of the greatest comedians of all time.
This show attempts to suggest how Bill Hick’s would respond to the modern world through stand-up. British actor Chas Early plays Hicks and captures the American’s nuances and voice brilliantly. Being a Bill Hicks fan, however, I found myself unexpectedly troubled and disconcerted by the familiarity of the man on stage, and unsure whether to allow myself to suspend my disbelief long enough to allow the conceit of this show to take me over. But as the performance continued and I couldn’t help but do so, I became progressively drawn in and this show became a wonderfully engrossing and hilarious triumph.
The material covered modern politics and modern culture in a way that seemed to resound with familiarity. This I think is more a depressing indictment on the lack of progress we’ve made in this society since the last visit Bill Hicks made to our shores. Some of the most satisfying material, especially for Hicks fans, were the moments where this show took the the opportunity to stick the boot into Dennis Leary and The Letterman Show. There’s a delicious sense of closure in hearing ‘Bill Hicks’ tear shreds off the cunts who wronged him in life. That being said I don’t think you need to be a fan to appreciate this show, if anything this could be a vehicle for Hicks virgins to retrospectively discover this true comedy great.
There are inherent problematic aspects to performing a show such as this. The first and most obvious one is that you are presenting an interpretation of a performer who many people near deify. Associated with this is the difficulty of second guessing a dead man, claiming to know what he would say today. And lastly, as an actor performing in character you can be easily fearless, without the personal responsibility of your actions under the guise of another. But, although these problem are simply implicit within the conceit, the accomplishment and humility with which this show is put together undermined the effects of these complexities.
I’ll be honest with you, given the chance I would greatly prefer to go a an actual performance by Bill Hicks. But perhaps the greatest tribute I can make to this show is that it made me miss the presence of Bill Hicks in the world, more than I have ever done before.
Visit the comedy festival website for bookings and further details