Richard Herring – Menage a un (11/08/06)

****

Richard Herring is unfortunately in the unenviable position of being expected to conjure brilliance simply out of thin air based on his past glories. While Someone Likes Yoghurt was certainly nowhere near deserving of the Daily Telegraph’s Worst Comedy Experience 2005, there was no escaping the distinct air of mediocrity about it.

Thankfully Menage a un is a return to stellar form. Fast approaching his forties, Herring’s act has a wonderful tinge of desperation to it as the comic confronts the real issues facing the man in a modern mid-life crisis: being single; being old; sky potatoes; Maxine Carr and the BNP. There’s little doubt that Herring can still be ridiculously funny. Menage a un shows Herring’s subtle maturity and his development into an accomplished stand-up who seems to enjoy performing his material as much as his audience enjoys listening to it. DL