Myself and Mrs Hatter went to the newly refurbished Grand Opera House York for a night of child-free comedy, with Dave Gorman’s new show Powerpoint to the People. We first discovered Dave through his books. I read Are You Dave Gorman many years ago – a hilarious account of trying to meet and photograph a full deck of cards worth of his namesake.
His Googlewhack Adventure soon followed; which saw Dave travelling around the world in search of a chain of ten Googlewhacks (two search terms that only yield only one result in the massive search engine)
Dave is now a familiar face on shows like Have I got New for You?, Taskmaster, QI and his own Modern Life is Goodish. This was our first time seeing him live on stage on though, so what did we make of it? Find out below!
Straight the (Power)Point
As the title of the show suggests, Dave makes use of technology throughout the show. There are no gimmicks or props here…just Dave, a laptop, projector and clicker. He clicks, scrolls, photoshops and green-screens his way through modern life. Topics range from being a dad, turning fifty, celebrity culture, the exact science of crisps, cryptic crosswords and how the alphabet is wrong. Internet comments become a source of japes too!
To say too much on the content of the show would spoil a lot of the fun, but I will say that it’s worth paying close attention, as there are a lot of running jokes and call-backs to earlier material. The jokes come thick and fast, but it was also interesting to note that – between the laughs – the audience are silent and hanging on his every word. A great comedian, but also a captivating storyteller.
This tour started in September, and there are a few minor blips and fumbles as Dave finds his feet with the new material. However he is so likeable and engaging, that these are entirely forgivable. It actually makes him more endearing, and the audience are very much on his side.
His childlike enthusiasm for being back on stage and his genuine warmth for the crowd helped us to feel in safe hands too. There’s no roasting of audience members here, a smattering of swears maybe but nothing especially offensive – although it’s definitely not for young children! The suggested age rating is 14+.
In it for the Long Game
At over two hours with no support act, the show is a testament to how Dave can carry an audience along with him, engage us all in a long-winded but funny prank and then swear us to secrecy. No spoilers here, but this prank bonds the audience, like we’re all part of one big in-joke!
In general the time flew by in a flurry of funnies, anecdotes and truths we can’t handle. Only a Tom Hanks routine in the second act seemed to drag, and ultimately not go anywhere, but I imagine even this will be pruned to perfection as the tour goes on.
It’s refreshing to see a tour in it’s infancy as material is still being refined, and this is still a very polished and slick show. Effortlessly engaging, he really ‘clicked’ with this York crowd.
Tickets around £30. For all venues and tour dates, visit https://davegorman.com/live/
RATING
Disclaimer: Tickets were kindly provided for this performance, however all opinions are honest and are our own.
Review Wizard 