Type and hit ENTER

Commonly used tags...

Brighton Festival Brighton Fringe Brighton Pride British Sea Power Cinecity Lewes Psychedelic Festival Locally Sourced Lost & Found Love Supreme Festival Mutations Festival Nick Cave Poets Vs MCs Politics Rag'n'Bone Man Record Store Day Save Our Venues Six Of The Best Source Virgins Streets Of Brighton Street Source Tattoos The Great Escape Tru Thoughts Unsung Heroes
  • Home
  • News
  • Previews
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Food
  • Tickets
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Advertise
  • Home
  • News
  • Previews
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Food
  • Tickets
  • Contact
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Advertise
Reviews

Frank Skinner Review

Oct 18, 2019
-
Posted by Victoria Baynton-Williams

With his Room 101 series decommissioned by the BBC, Frank Skinner is currently best found on Absolute Radio each Saturday morning exchanging witty banter with Emily Dean and Alun Cochrane (the show is UK commercial radio’s most popular podcast). However last Sunday saw Frank back to his day job, performing his ‘Showbiz’ stand-up show at Brighton’s Theatre Royal. It’s a venue that most would agree has seen better days, but definitely still has its charm; could the same be said of Frank?

Frank Skinner has been doing stand-up for over 30 years. At 62, one might expect his humour to have aged like a fine wine, perhaps with fewer references to anal sex and more about canal cruises? Well, let’s just say the latter only comes up once.

The ‘Showbiz’ title felt a little loose… Frank wasn’t afraid to stray from the path, but he clearly had a path in mind as he managed to cover a range of disjointed subjects from back pain to the Krankies to daisy chaining (probably best not Google that). That said, it felt more like a collection of musings, most of which really stemmed from getting older. It’s not clear why we see stand-up as a young man’s game these days when the comedians of the 1970s were generally circa 50-years-old. Anyway, Frank is definitely not past it and still excels as a quick thinker when it comes to off-the-cuff gags.

Two seats remained empty in the front row, despite it being a sold-out night (as Frank pointed out, only to be heckled with “is that what they told you!?”). But he thrives on this: a couple left early (before the encore) abandoning a plastic cup on the stage, which he threw angrily at their empty seats (“Fuck ’em!”). It’s these spontaneous moments that are Frank’s forte.

Although at times it felt a little like this Brighton audience wasn’t one of his strongest, he was more than capable of keeping the laughs coming. As is traditional with a tour of this kind, the comedian managed to shoehorn in some local references, mentioning the i360, Horsham and randomly saying “Arundel” for no apparent reason, but the big laughs came from bits discussing the ‘Strictly Curse’ (the filthiest take on it, of course) and the fact that his age has allowed him to finally be free from the shackles of… well, being a lad on heat.

His 90s lad comedy days may well be behind him, but jokes about sex from behind are not. A decent night out for anyone who likes to laugh and is preferably over 18.

Theatre Royal, Sunday 13th October 2019
Words by Victoria Baynton-Williams

Frank Skinner’s ‘Showbiz’ is at London’s Garrick Theatre from Jan 20th – Feb 15th. Details here.

Oct 18, 2019
Email
← PREVIOUS POST
The Murder Capital Review
NEXT POST →
Alternate Realities 2019
Mailing List

Recent Posts
  • Great Escape 2025 Day 4 Review
    Jun 13, 2025

    Day 4 started with a party whistle thrash punk Extravaganza and ended with the glorious debut of Post Common. We love you TGE.

  • Great Escape 2025 Day 3 Review
    Jun 9, 2025

    One of the real joys of the Great Escape is you can often see the bands that really grab you more than once. Day 3 delivered.

  • Great Escape 2025 Day 2 Review
    Jun 7, 2025

    Day 2 provided a diverse range of acts. Within 30 minutes we went from beautiful Australian folk to riotous Korean DnB and that was before tea time!

  • The Girl On The Train Review
    Jun 7, 2025

    A fantastic adaptation of Paula Hawkins’ bestselling novel which is a beautiful balance of acting, theatricality and gritty story telling.

  • Great Escape 2025 Day 1 Review
    Jun 6, 2025

    No longer just a day for getting your wrist band; some serious heavy hitters were brought out for a cracking day one.

  • Winnie The Pooh Review
    Jun 2, 2025

    A delightful venture into the 100 acre wood with Christopher Robin, Winnie the Pooh and their friends: full of wonder, innocence and charm.

  • Lower Slaughter Return With New Album And Headline Show
    May 30, 2025

    New line up! New Album! New Show! Same heavy heavy monster riffs. Winner.

  • Delightfully Dark Review
    May 30, 2025

    A fresh and hilariously funny one man cabaret show about the absurdity of death, living a finite existence and embracing life in all its imperfections.

Website developed in Brighton by Infobo
Copyright © Brighton Source 2009-2023
Frank Skinner Review - Brighton Source