Sundial Theatre Review: The Brig Society, Marcus Brigstocke 18/04/13 Sundial Theatre

Caddy, resident comedy cat

Find out more about Comedy in Cirencester

Large audience is drawn to local theatre...

A sell out show found the Sundial Theatre swarmed exactly like how it must have been on Friday 12^th when Michael McIntyre hit Cirencester with a surprise show ahead of an international tour.

Marcus is nowhere near as famous as Michael, and you get the feeling he doesn’t want to be either. Unafraid to speak his opinion and talk about politics, he unashamedly bashes the Big Society concept of David Cameron for its fundamental difficulty, that some jobs don’t have an amateur level. Does a brain surgeon need an amateur status to keep his Olympic options open? No, you want them professional.

Marcus claimed to have opened a hospital and found it frankly “hard work”. He quizzed the crowd about how they had been getting involved in the Big Society, “What volunteer work have you done today sir?” to many blank responses.

Scathing as it was, he made his point without having to overcook the pudding and all his gripes with the conservatives were based on facts, though clearly his interpretation of them.

It is always hard when talking politics. There are generalisations, but Cirencester is a Tory strong hold and often people who aren’t the exponent of capitalism and the free market see themselves as conservative.

Despite the blue blood of a large amount of the audience, Brigstocke went down well. Even so, he didn’t exactly offer up a solution to the issue. I doubt his political opinions can be expressed through the mechanisms of any of the big three parties, but one thing most people can agree upon was the lovely explanation of banking.

The absurd bonus scheme for failing banks was mercilessly ripped by himself taking on the role of the banker, and essentially robbing the crowd of real money. One father shouted out “You’ve stolen money from a 13 year-old girl!” “And I’m not sorry, I’m a banker.”

During the break, a cat ventured into the reception area and took pride of place, pawing at the floor and purring as hundreds of people walked past perplexed, “Did he come for Marcus?” was the main question. Turns out the cat comes to most big name productions, and has been interviewed by local radio.

Marcus had no opener, and he smashed through nearly two hours of material without a falter. Apparently over his 100^th show of the same tour, you’d expect it, but it was left with enough room for manoeuvre. Strongly recommended!

More about Marcus and the theatre:
http://sundial-theatre.co.uk/listing.php
http://www.marcusbrigstocke.com/