Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

When one of its own isn’t around, the city feels like its pining for their return, too often the sound of laughter is taken for granted, and when the comic does not appear on stage for a time, the happiness can be seen to dissipate like thinly weaved mist being stretched and called back to the sea, to be lost in the gloom; what is needed in such times is A Christmas Story, one told by Terry Titter.

There will always be a certain level of public opinion which will believe it is above such hilarity, no matter the comedian, they will find a way to suggest, arms crossed and sour mouthed, that such observations and characters have no room in society any more. For the fans of Terry Titter, for the followers and laughter addicts of such noble traditions in which the likes of Dick Emery captivated a nation, character-based comedy in a one-person show are amongst the purest sense of theatre we can rely on to make us cheer and chortle out loud.

Terry Titter hasn’t been on stage in Liverpool for quite some time, the refurbishment of the Unity Theatre over the last couple of years has been a part of the shared missed experience, the sense of fun absent, and what has been Liverpool’s loss, has certainly been other towns and venues huge gain.

A night that was started in almost Morecombe and Wise fashion as local singer Alan Cross took to the stage and majestically sang the hit song written by Dean Kay and Kelly Gordon and made famous by Frank Sinatra, That’s Life, with the superb Terry Titter looking on from the back of the stage, making gestures and asking silently who was this interloper of the evening?

It was a slice of comic genius, a poignancy recognised by the audience and the rise of laughter that filled the downstairs venue of the Royal Court Theatre to the point of bursting.

Timing is everything in life, and in comedy it is seen as the blood that ticks round the veins, one missed beat and the opportunity is missed, one heartbeat out of time and a moment becomes stray, a valve can leak, and the pressure increases. For Terry Titter, a moment is never wasted, an escaped giggle from an audience member will be pounced upon and made larger, an audible mutter will draw comic daggers, and throughout it all the creation will dominate, will take the crowd on a journey which will lighten the evening, which will frustrate the sour faced and so called politically correct.

An enormous amount of fun, it is with welcome hands and warmly appreciated applause that Terry Titter returned to the Liverpool stage. A grand night out of comedy, A Christmas Story which captures the funny bone.

Ian D. Hall