If you’re familiar with Charlie Pickering’s work, the entrance he makes to his new show The Audacity of Frank might surprise you. After a particularly cheesy vocal introduction, Charlie comes onto the stage singing. Yes, you read right, singing. Don’t worry, Charlie hasn’t traded in his stand up shoes for a life in cabaret, this is just the launching pad for the first of many jokes that pepper this accomplished show.
The Frank in the title refers to Charlie’s Grandfather, and is introduced early in the show, as a man of multiple illnesses and a hero of Charlie’s. After Halley Metcalfe’s show My Two Cents, this is the second show I’ve seen in a few days that deals with a grandparent. As in Halley’s show, Charlie’s excellent impersonation of his Grandad really adds to the portrait. Unlike Halley’s show, Charlie uses the initial stories as a jumping off place, for a broader mix of standup.
This is the first time in some years that I have seen Charlie do stand up proper, with several of his previous shows being story based. He touches on sliced bread, Barack Obama, fair trade coffee, househunting, chatrooms, mobile phone scams and, rather alarmingly, the crazy frog. I say alarmingly because I thought that joke was done and dusted, good stand ups should know better. This brings me to my major concern with this show. Much of the material felt a bit easy for a sharp mind like Charlie’s. As I said, it’s been a few years since I’ve seen Charlie do stand up, but back then, I’m sure, I didn’t regularly anticipate his punchlines. Either I have gotten much cleverer or Charlie’s comedy has gotten a little broader, and I don’t think I’ve gotten cleverer. It’s a pity to say it, because Charlie is a terrific stand up, and he attracts clever audiences who deserve the best this talented comedian can offer. The show also run over by about fifteen minutes and a fifteen minute trim would be really profitable for this show.
That said Charlie can still turn a phrase like no one else. The show he delivers is eloquently delivered and carefully interwoven, with Charlie rounding it out with a couple more stories about Frank. There’s much to like about Charlie Pickering, but for me, this isn’t vintage Charlie.
For more info and booking details go to Charlie Pickering – The Audacity of Frank