I, Tom Mayhew
I went to see my friend Tom Mayhew perform his show "I, Tom Mayhew" at the Soho Theatre last week. I have known Tom a long time and I've done gigs with him a few times, sharing with him the highs and lows of being a stand-up comedian. I always felt that Tom was a talented act and he has combined that with an impressive work ethic, gigging frequently and extensively around the country.
For the uninitiated, Soho Theatre is the cool place to watch stand-up and sketch comedy in London. My friend Joanna used to work there and got me free tickets for lots of shows. I've still not quite forgiven her for the selfish act of moving on with her career. It's pretty much in the centre of the city, has three great performance spaces and has basically hosted anyone who's anyone in stand-up in the past twenty years. I think I speak for a lot of people who have done comedy when I say that we all aspire to do our own hour long shows there. To play there is a great achievement in and of itself. To sell out three nights as Tom has done is remarkable.
This was my third time watching the show and it has been a pleasure to watch it develop. In part, it's about Tom's experiences signing on with the Job Centre, a subject that is particularly close to my heart having gone through the same thing in the immediate aftermath of university. It's little surprise to me to discover that the Department of Work and Pensions are still lying to the people that they are supposed to assist and putting every possible hurdle in place to dissuade claimants. It's very difficult to argue with his central thesis that the system is designed to keep the poor in poverty. But his message is always backed up by the humour, even when the narrative takes a turn into some thoroughly dispiriting territory. One section in particular is uncomfortable but important to address and must have been difficult for Tom to do so.
He's a sharp and adept joke writer, who is capable of some particularly acerbic lines ("It's called Universal Credit because you'd have to travel the universe to find someone willing to take credit for that idea" springs to mind). He has also developed a great stage presence and his natural warmth quickly brings the audience on side, at one point resulting in a lovely tangent on the topic of 90s kids show "Brum". The best stand-up comedy shows I've seen are funny, personal and truthful. Tom's show is all three.
I hope this show is available in recorded form at some point as I believe it deserves a wider audience. I am immensely proud of Tom and what he's achieved. I highly recommend you check him out if you haven't done so already and I think he's doing some preview/work in progress soon. I'm excited to see what he does next.
For the uninitiated, Soho Theatre is the cool place to watch stand-up and sketch comedy in London. My friend Joanna used to work there and got me free tickets for lots of shows. I've still not quite forgiven her for the selfish act of moving on with her career. It's pretty much in the centre of the city, has three great performance spaces and has basically hosted anyone who's anyone in stand-up in the past twenty years. I think I speak for a lot of people who have done comedy when I say that we all aspire to do our own hour long shows there. To play there is a great achievement in and of itself. To sell out three nights as Tom has done is remarkable.
This was my third time watching the show and it has been a pleasure to watch it develop. In part, it's about Tom's experiences signing on with the Job Centre, a subject that is particularly close to my heart having gone through the same thing in the immediate aftermath of university. It's little surprise to me to discover that the Department of Work and Pensions are still lying to the people that they are supposed to assist and putting every possible hurdle in place to dissuade claimants. It's very difficult to argue with his central thesis that the system is designed to keep the poor in poverty. But his message is always backed up by the humour, even when the narrative takes a turn into some thoroughly dispiriting territory. One section in particular is uncomfortable but important to address and must have been difficult for Tom to do so.
He's a sharp and adept joke writer, who is capable of some particularly acerbic lines ("It's called Universal Credit because you'd have to travel the universe to find someone willing to take credit for that idea" springs to mind). He has also developed a great stage presence and his natural warmth quickly brings the audience on side, at one point resulting in a lovely tangent on the topic of 90s kids show "Brum". The best stand-up comedy shows I've seen are funny, personal and truthful. Tom's show is all three.
I hope this show is available in recorded form at some point as I believe it deserves a wider audience. I am immensely proud of Tom and what he's achieved. I highly recommend you check him out if you haven't done so already and I think he's doing some preview/work in progress soon. I'm excited to see what he does next.
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