Jon Richardson: Old Man

Jon Richardson plays at being the ‘old man’, sending himself up for his pernickety ways and foibles, but really what he is is a delightful comedy veteran. With a practised hand he weaves callbacks, tailor-made audience-specific material, and self-deprecating anecdotes together to make a near perfect whole. Even when his flow is thrown off by a case of tongue-ties he’s at the ready to gently explore that tangent before getting back on track.

Richardson has a masterful balance of underdog outsider and assuming his audience’s confidence in a good show throughout – it’s an underrated attribute that really works well. As he explains at the start: he’s here simply to entertain and to have you leave feeling better than when you arrived. A task he is whole qualified to complete time and time again.

Brighton Dome, 13 April 2018
Rating:
Victoria Nangle