By Rachael Fraser
After self-deprecatingly introducing his act, Andy Parsons more or less jumped into the spotlight at his stage show of his I’ve Got a Shed tour.
From the start it was obvious it was going to be a fun evening of comedy at The Kings Theatre.
Andy Parsons reveals life as a comedian during his stage performance
The Mock the Week star covered all bases from mocking himself and creating pictures of his accidental happenings, to his notorious style of political satire.
He kept the audience engaged by referring to earlier jokes and enthusiastically bounced and danced in different spots on the stage, which was a welcome surprise.
Some theatre-goers may have been confused by some topical references, including politicians turned celebrity reality show stars, but doing it with a hop and a skip in between, meant the audience could still laugh at his free flowing around the stage – a different kettle of fish to his more rigid television performances.
As promised he explored in some detail his fondness for his shed – a kind of sanctuary for his self-confessed lazy male form – giving us an insight into his non-stage life.
Most noteworthy were the stories of how he ended up naked at 4am in a hotel, the clumsy incident where he fell off a bus and his telephone argument with a banker. Simple comical stories of everyday encounters.
It was a great chance to see the Dorset-born Live at the Apollo star in action, who was clearly very comfortable on the Southsea stage, and gained a lot of respect from the audience with only one heckler shouting “you can carry on” at Andy after he briefly paused for breath. He dealt with it politely, as was expected.
Sadly not all the theatre seats were full, but Andy entertained the rest of us at ease from start to finish. For me the show seemed to go more quickly than expected. I guess time really does fly when you’re having fun.