thu 28/03/2024

Adam Hills, Soho Theatre | reviews, news & interviews

Adam Hills, Soho Theatre

Adam Hills, Soho Theatre

Genial Aussie comic goes off piste and straight down a blind alley

Your comic needs you: Adam Hills's new show is based on his audience's stories

It’s an interesting concept that Adam Hills has come up with for his latest show, Mess Around. The ever-smiling and hugely likeable Australian - a longtime sellout hit at the Edinburgh Fringe but who has yet to make a broader breakthrough like his peers - is a past master of audience interaction, so why not ditch the material and make that the show?

It’s an interesting concept that Adam Hills has come up with for his latest show, Mess Around. The ever-smiling and hugely likeable Australian - a longtime sellout hit at the Edinburgh Fringe but who has yet to make a broader breakthrough like his peers - is a past master of audience interaction, so why not ditch the material and make that the show?

Predictably it all fizzles out; the audience’s suggestions are a bit rubbish and the text is as sexy as a pair of soiled pants

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Having seen Adam Hills before in Edinburgh I'm not surprised about this review. Rather than prepare a decent gig (in comparison to the excellent Russell Kane) he seems content to give his audience "improvised" off-the-cuff material which basically means he relies on a bit of charm to excuse the lack of jokes. I think its time he writes a show and stops insulting his audience in more ways than one.

And I've seen Adam Hills do absolutely glorious aching-laughing-muscles improvisation shows. It works more often than it doesn't because he's quick and clever and positive. Re Russell Kane: you're right, his Edinburgh show was well constructed but after he'd won the award for some reason he bombed totally. At a "best of" gig Russell was so bad he was shouted off the stage, ashen, at the end of the month.

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