A GOOD crowd turned out for Bromsgrove’s Fat Theo’s biggest ever show ‘The Journeyman – This is My Story’ at Artrix on Sunday.
It was billed as the popular town comedian’s ‘first ever hour-long show’ but, relaxed and conversational on stage, he comfortably drifted beyond an hour and 20 minutes and you got the impression could have gone on longer.
The night was a triumph where the laughs just kept coming.
Prior to Fat Theo taking to the stage, he was ably supported by two contrasting comedians.
The evening began with Northfield comic Danny Strachan who paced the stage, talking about his council estate upbringing in south Birmingham.
This was a real nostalgic trip down memory lane with a fantastically brash delivery, which a lot of the audience could clearly relate to.
There were plenty of anecdotes about 80s/early 90s childhoods, catalogues, pick ‘n’ mix at Woolworths, ‘playing out until all hours’ and more.
Next up was Bromsgrove-born Max Ponsonby who spoke about life working at a popular store in the town which clearly (judging by the audience’s reaction) many knew him from.
As well as working in a shop, he also explored his sexuality, his personal health battles and disabilities – during which he came out with plenty of clever lines.
After the interval, you could sense you were about to watch something special and Fat Theo delivered.
The headline act
From the moment he stepped out, you could tell the night was ‘a long time coming’ but, despite the build-up and pressure, he contained the nerves and took it in his stride.
This was reflective observational comedy at its best – from exploring family lives and relationships to everyday situations, he provided scenarios those watching had clearly experienced.
The observations and banter with the crowd led to guffaws and, in some cases, had the audience roaring with laughter.
Picture by JMC Photography. s
However – and here is where the cleverness lies – when he spoke about his catastrophic brain injury and what he went through, you could hear a pin drop in the auditorium. It was almost like he could turn the comedy on and off for the audience a light switch and that takes some doing.
For those who do not know. Theo had a brain injury and when he came round, such was the memory loss he sustained, he could not recall anything about being married, his wife or children. He went home not sure – in his own words – if this was where he was meant to be or whether he had been caught up in some conspiracy. Him learning the art of stand-up comedy (and it truly is an art) was part of his recovery.
As a journalist for almost 25 years, this is as good as a story gets – Theo is a person who is struck down and battles back from adversity. But it takes a real talent to convey that story to the audience and Theo, with his personable nature, has the tools – both comedic and being a genuinely nice guy – to convey it to those who want to hear it.
The art of stand-up comedy is delivering humour but looking at the same time like you are not trying to be funny.
There was a lot mentioned on the night of Artrix’s main auditorium being ‘the biggest stage in Bromsgrove’ and it is – but this story is destined to be told on even bigger stages up and down the country.
This has to be the start for this set and I look forward to seeing where it heads next.
