10 Years On: The Malcolm Hardee Show
I took my first trip of the year to Up The Creek in Greenwich to watch LBC listener and Croydon shadow Darren Maskell perform in a show to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Malcolm Hardee's passing. Hardee was a larger than life character on the comedy circuit and an instrumental figure in the South London scene, first at the Tunnel Club and later at Up The Creek. The proceeds from this night went towards funding a new documentary about his life. It was certainly a memorable evening that celebrated his anarchic spirit and showcased the new wave of alternative comedy.
The night was hosted by the man himself, or rather Terry Alderton channelling Hardee. Riffing darkly on the circumstances of his death, it was a fun opening to proceedings. Martin Soan's first appearance was unforgettable, wandering on stage naked and threatened to recreate the occasion Hardee pissed on a member of the front row. Fortunately for all concerned, he was unable to deliver. More successful were his sketches with Hardee's old group, The Greatest Show On Legs.
John Robertson used his short set to good effect, noting that it was only right for Hardee to have a documentary given the number that have been dedicated to Hitler. By the end, he speculated a la Shrodinger about the contents of the box in his possession ("Is it a cat or is it Jesus?"). We later discovered via Bob Slayer (in filthy form) that the box contained offal, before dressing up an audience member as Freddie Mercury so Hardee could apologise for stealing his birthday cake*. That came after some extraordinary operatic work from Jayde Adams, her Nessun Dorma filling the room.
Owen O'Neill recalled some of his own experiences with Hardee, culminating in a fine routine he had encouraged him to perform based on his harsh Catholic upbringing and divine retribution for an act of theft. Soon after it was Maskell time. Coming on stage to 2 Unlimited with a bucket on his head, the audience struggled to get on Darren's wavelength and he was subjected to the night's first round of heckling. He coped with this admirably and I need no longer wonder what would have happened if he had performed an open spot at the old Tunnel Club**. In his commitment to grand, strange ideas within his comedic vision, he personifies the spirit of alternative comedy more than most.
Joz Norris also bore the brunt of hecklers, one of whom advised suicide when he pondered how to end an act that consisted largely of him dressed as a lobster singing "My Way". Prior to this, Cheekykita came on stage as Black Beauty, getting laughs from floundering with the microphone between her hooves. The night might have belonged to Malcolm, but Spencer Jones stole the show with a remarkable performance. A fine combination of clowning, physical combination and mimicry. We'll be seeing a lot more of him I reckon.
The show concluded with The Greatest Show on Legs' Naked Balloon Dance, which frankly is entirely self-explanatory. It was a vibrant, varied and completely inappropriate evening of entertainment. I suspect Hardee would have approved.
* "I Stole Freddy Mercury's Birthday Cake" was the title of Hardee's autobiography.
** Namely that he would have been subjected to a round of "Malcolm!", the call formerly used to bring the MC back to the stage and eject the poor act who had caused the audience's displeasure.
The night was hosted by the man himself, or rather Terry Alderton channelling Hardee. Riffing darkly on the circumstances of his death, it was a fun opening to proceedings. Martin Soan's first appearance was unforgettable, wandering on stage naked and threatened to recreate the occasion Hardee pissed on a member of the front row. Fortunately for all concerned, he was unable to deliver. More successful were his sketches with Hardee's old group, The Greatest Show On Legs.
John Robertson used his short set to good effect, noting that it was only right for Hardee to have a documentary given the number that have been dedicated to Hitler. By the end, he speculated a la Shrodinger about the contents of the box in his possession ("Is it a cat or is it Jesus?"). We later discovered via Bob Slayer (in filthy form) that the box contained offal, before dressing up an audience member as Freddie Mercury so Hardee could apologise for stealing his birthday cake*. That came after some extraordinary operatic work from Jayde Adams, her Nessun Dorma filling the room.
Owen O'Neill recalled some of his own experiences with Hardee, culminating in a fine routine he had encouraged him to perform based on his harsh Catholic upbringing and divine retribution for an act of theft. Soon after it was Maskell time. Coming on stage to 2 Unlimited with a bucket on his head, the audience struggled to get on Darren's wavelength and he was subjected to the night's first round of heckling. He coped with this admirably and I need no longer wonder what would have happened if he had performed an open spot at the old Tunnel Club**. In his commitment to grand, strange ideas within his comedic vision, he personifies the spirit of alternative comedy more than most.
Joz Norris also bore the brunt of hecklers, one of whom advised suicide when he pondered how to end an act that consisted largely of him dressed as a lobster singing "My Way". Prior to this, Cheekykita came on stage as Black Beauty, getting laughs from floundering with the microphone between her hooves. The night might have belonged to Malcolm, but Spencer Jones stole the show with a remarkable performance. A fine combination of clowning, physical combination and mimicry. We'll be seeing a lot more of him I reckon.
The show concluded with The Greatest Show on Legs' Naked Balloon Dance, which frankly is entirely self-explanatory. It was a vibrant, varied and completely inappropriate evening of entertainment. I suspect Hardee would have approved.
* "I Stole Freddy Mercury's Birthday Cake" was the title of Hardee's autobiography.
** Namely that he would have been subjected to a round of "Malcolm!", the call formerly used to bring the MC back to the stage and eject the poor act who had caused the audience's displeasure.
Comments
Post a Comment