If you read my last post or are the man who always seems to be sitting in his car outside my flat, and sometimes my office, and occasionally Sainsburys, then you’ll know that on the day of happy affection that is St Valentine’s Day, I went to see Ed Byrne complain about life.
He was on at the Royal Hall in Harrogate, which I shamefully did not know existed despite having lived in Harrogate for several years (though in my defence it was closed for renovation at the time). It is beautiful: well worth a visit, even without the draw of a professional stand-up comedian (he’s very funny if you haven’t seen him) (remarkable even). It was originally built in 1903 as a venue for day and night entertainment for those visiting Harrogate to take the waters; it has since been lovingly restored in an authentic reproduction of the original and it really is grand with art nouveau door handles, lots of gold leaf and some beautiful murals. Find an excuse to go.
In fact I’ll give you one: Grimethorpe Colliery Band, yes folks, Grimethorpe Colliery Band off of that there Brassed Off, are playing on Sunday! Or, there is Carmen on Tuesday 18th February, or Giselle on Sunday 16th March. Something for everyone. Book tickets here: harrogatetheatre.co.uk
So, back to Ed.
This is his fourth tour, it’s called Roaring Forties and is an opportunity for him to explain how much he enjoys being a dick now that he is 41 – because if you behave like a dick when you’re in your twenties people expect it, but if you do it when you’re in your forties it just confuses them.
He covered all the important life topics: marriage, children, vasectomies (a logical sequence), hernias (one candid audience member admitted to having a hernia, but denied knowledge of how it had come about, which was diagnosed as sexual misadventure) and air guitar – all perfect topics for that romantic Valentine’s Day date.
I don’t want to give away too many spoilers so cannot go into more detail – he is on in Wakefield on 4 March if you’re interested. He is a class act and, despite his diminutive proportions, his energy and enthusiasm for his gripes and guitar more than filled the opulent surroundings of the theatre.
I do like him. Interesting you say Grimethorpe Colliery Band are playing the venue. I saw them in Leeds a few months back and they were very good. Very entertaining and well worth going.