Beginning as you mean to go on can be a risky strategy, especially when the person setting the bar sets it high, and this is exactly what Mark Fiddaman did in his opening stand-up set for this week’s Footlights Smoker. It was short, intense and brilliantly crafted. His glare hooked the eyes of the entire audience, and he winched everyone in slowly, but with a very firm grip on the rope. If only it hadn’t been clear that some people already knew the punch-line, not a moment of his mastery would have been broken. Nevertheless, he seized everyone on board and set the ship sailing for a marvellous ride.

The evening had plethora of talent to be enjoyed. The punning stylings of Alex Owen were thoroughly embraced by all, as he displayed his wordplay in both sketches and song. Whether toying with names or sexual innuendo, rarely was a syllable left unmolested. As if this weren’t enough, a re-jigging of the Aladdin song ‘I can show you the world’ by the cruel Joey Batey left us realising that the day we found out Father Christmas didn’t exist wasn’t the worst. His deftness was cutting; one word was changed to reveal the darkness lurking behind the Disney classic. See him for yourself if you want an original way of upsetting a small child.  A charming ukulele piece from an un-introduced (and therefore unnamable) act continued the theme of sweetly-sung destruction, whose relentless attack on humankind could not have endeared us to him more greatly.

The most show-stealing pieces tended to be sketches, Joe Bannister’s fleeting appearance in particular left many of us wishing he’d been in more of them. The characters formed for our delight by the likes of Ben Ashenden, Abi Tedder, and the sketch-group Care of Douglas were highlights. Ben Ashenden’s ruthless dojo instructor certainly had people clutching their ribs, and the audience’s inability to contain themselves during his Arsene Wenger impression had me fearing his own compose would break.  Abi Tedder’s ‘Roxanne’, an abused Russian dancer, was a favourite from the moment she was wheeled on stage. Rolling her on at the end again was arguably not the most finessed ending to the night’s proceedings, but a repeated appearance was more than welcome. Care of Douglas produced the most polished sketch however.  Every expression and movement was produced with fantastic energy and imagination by all participants, and they provided us with the most convincing finishing of the night.  

The risky strategy of setting the bar at giddy heights paid off. Fiddaman was not matched by all, but the momentum and pace of the performance was sustained. If you missed the boat this week, make sure you hop on the next one.

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