Review: Julian Clary, The Journal Tyne Theatre
by Gordon Barr, Evening Chronicle
IT has been several years since Julian Clary has done stand-up in Newcastle.
Comedians come, comedians go, but Julian has been a household name here for a quarter of a century.
His comedy may not be to everyone’s taste, but the hundreds who packed into the Journal Tyne Theatre last night knew what they were in for.
They seemed to lap up every camp minute, so Mr Clary is obviously doing something right.
I’ve seen him on better form, though, and left just a little dissatisfied from the show – though still with a smile on my face.
With this sort of comedy, part of the fun is predicting what the punchline is going to be.
You are nearly always right, but Julian does seem to take it that extra mile – purely for entertainment value of course.
I felt, though, that many of the punchlines failed to hit the spot. After rambling on about any matter of topics (normally sexual with Julian) the wow factor was missing from the endings.
He did not seem as at ease on the stage as he has done in the past, and at times I did think he was going to lose the plot altogether.
He didn’t, and managed to pull back those moments of blandness with blinding put-downs and over-the-top campness.
Arriving on stage in rollerblades, it was only a matter of minutes before he picked on his first unsuspecting member of the audience, who had to take the aforementioned blades off his feet and replace them with a pair of shoes.
It was well into the second half before the next human guinea pigs were plucked from their seats, as Julian revealed his psychic prowess (well, that is putting it very loosely). This turned into one of the highlights of the show, thanks to the game spirit of the two lads joining him on stage.
This esteemed newspaper didn’t get off lightly either, as Julian read certain ‘stories’ to let the audience know what was happening in their local area – using his camp wit to put a new twist on each and every one.
He revealed how a few nights before in Glasgow one punter had shouted out: “I didn’t pay £20 to come and hear you read a newspaper.” To which Julian replied: “I think you will find you have.” Sheer class!
Despite the show’s shortcomings, it was still an enjoyable evening of near-the-knuckle, end-of-the-pier entertainment, which has helped keep Julian in the limelight all these years.
The show is called Lord of the Mince and it remains a title he carries off quite admirably, even at the grand age of 50. He does what he does, and we love him for it.
