Paul Foot

The Lowry, November 24

SOME misguided folk suggest that surrealist humour is easy, and that conjuring up absurdist ramblings is a lazy form of comedy.

But turning comedy which is seemingly so random and ‘out there’ into workable side-splitting material is an art, which Paul Foot has certainly mastered.

The likes of Vic and Bob and Noel Fielding are the public faces of surreal comedy, but to those in the know, Foot is the underground king of absurdist humour.

Take the opening of the show at The Lowry, for example.

Instead of just introducing himself before the curtain call and making his way to the stage, Foot dissects the very nature of the introductory message, commenting on how long it has gone on for.

When he does make it into The Lowry’s Studio theatre, members of the audience get more than they bargain for, having Foot leaning on them and ranting down their ear.

A poor American man named Dan comes in for a particularly bad time, with Foot regularly returning to his seat for some more fun at his expense.

But his audience interaction is not nasty or personal in the way that the likes of Frankie Boyle often engage in.

Foot is a warm hearted comedian who transports comedy fans a world away from their daily lives.

The Bolton News enjoyed the second night of his three night run at The Lowry, where he is performing three of his previous shows.

During the performance of 2011’s Still Life, Foot explores what would happen if Iain Duncan Smith took over the running of a cockerel sanctuary, and how the world would react if Prussia existed again.

In and of themselves those ideas may not sound like comic gold, but it is all in the delivery.

Foot’s rambling delivery combined with an appetite for excessive detail and repetition is what makes the show an evening of laugh out loud comedy.

After the performance of his previous show, he returns for a second half which includes a predictably silly question and answer session, and some musings from his book of literal surrealism.

Some of the ramblings are close to the bone, but if you like that kind of humour, which I certainly do, Paul Foot is a must see.