Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Strap yourself in and prepare for a ride, for in comedy there really should be as few barriers as possible in the pursuit of making people laugh, an audience of every conceivable demographic enjoying a Saturday night in the company of friends, loved ones and dismissing the dreadfulness of what passing for the beige appeal of weekend television and the over dramatic obliteration of hearing as the latest one-hit wonder blares out across a crowded, bland room.

Regardless of whether it is satire, political, observational, feminist, or even just the wonder of the rapid fire succession of puns, one-liners and the odd joke that gathers the surprised eyebrow and the ooh of pondering of how close to the knuckle was that particular joke, a good joke will always see a group of people come together, will always see the finest displays of emotions, that of sincere and beautiful laughter.

There are excellent comedians on the circuit today, they say it is the new Rock ‘N’ Roll after all, and in a league which houses talent such as Dara O’ Briain, Tiffany Stevenson, Milton Jones, Nish Kumar and Katherine Ryan, it is perhaps in the art of the mind of Gary Delaney that the subtle textures of the one-liner, a true pun, and the irreverent mocking of certain aspects of life, become a joy to behold.

An audience understands that the knuckle is there to be grasped, to hold a joke with both a smile on the face and in the voice is one of life’s great delights, and if sometimes comes at the expense of the comedian themselves, then an even finer evening is pursued.

Mixing an hour of jokes with moments in which Gary, Indiana is shown to have unnerving similarities with the Unity Theatre’s guest, all pointed out with a thrill by the comedian, of the absurd beauty in updating Wikipedia descriptions to give a more pun-ishing finish to the article and the simple wonder of hearing a comic actually enjoy themselves and the company of strangers, that is the finest of compliments that an audience can receive.

Trust is a two-way street, in comedy it is arguably the most important bond to be held as a sacred link between the two parties, the comedian’s oath, the crowd’s promise, to know that a joke is a joke, as long as it doesn’t become mean, then the applause is a genuine, appreciated and valued. It is a value that Liverpool will hopefully receive again, that Gary Delaney will once more come to the Unity Theatre and treat the audience to a night where no holds are barred.

Ian D. Hall