Gonzo's Christmas Comedy Night 2015 - Mr White Recaps

With the festive season behind us, let's discuss one of its highlights! Although an event usually held but once a month, December 2015 has seen a festive Christmas Comedy Night grace Norwich's unique and popular Gonzos Tea Room, hot on the heels of the rambunctious antics of the last. Although both myself and Mr Mason had the great pleasure of reviewing the prior occasion, the Christmas Comedy Night of 16th December 2015 clashed with each of our bustling lives -- as this time of year is prone to do.

Nonetheless, your humble scribe afforded himself the opportunity to sojourn to the grand venue and partake of its comedic delights in part upon the very night of December 16th. Therefore, I proffer in this article an overview, if you will, of the events as witnessed, together with insights garnered from some of the featured talent. It'd be remiss of us to conduct a review on the basis of only a part of the event as witnessed -- and without The Teege's input, the very dualistic nature of White Mason Reviews would be missing in action. A snapshot I provide, then, for your salubrious delectation.

Nelson on fine form

Gonzo's Christmas Comedy Night welcomed a sweep of comedians -- both those new to its stage, and those familiar with the venue. Indeed, the charismatic Master of Ceremonies and Gonzos mainstay, Mr Nelson T Gombakomba Jnr, was on-hand to administer his own unique brand of quick wit, wry observational comedy and outrageous remarks about life at large -- and joining him amid familiar faces 'neath the white glare of the spotlight were Alexander Oliver, Adele Cliff and Ryan Cross.

Ah yes... Mr Ryan Cross. He's a stalwart face in Norwich's comedy circuit, making regular appearances at Gonzos. It was during his set that your humble writer arrived on the scene, taking my seat among the patrons as Mr Cross conducted his works. It pleases me to tabulate that Ryan was on excellent form that night -- though his material as to my ear was often familiar, it resounded to yowls of laughter and appreciation to newcomers. Moreover, his newer material -- ever courting controversy, touring such topics as Syria and Fallout 4, as well as the myriad mysteries of human sexuality -- was both dryly delivered and proficiently paced.

However, Ryan's performance of the night really stood out through his hitherto-unknown-to-me talent for improvisational comedy, as a discussion with a couple in the audience regarding the differences between homosexual and heterosexual pairings finally culminated in his railroading the comical discussion back to his material with the exacting and deliberate wording, "When a couple, one of whom is male and the other is female, has sex -- which they are free to do, or not do, with whoever they choose to..."

Applause! And when he began citing White Mason Reviews' appraisal of his previous December performance to round up his act? Why, one was delighted, terrified and flattered in equal measure -- particularly in how he converted an unfavourable review into an observational dig at the pervasive freedom we all have to, essentially, be more or less unaccountable for our actions, thanks to social media. Nonetheless, this was Ryan Cross as strong as ever I've seen him, and it's apparent that his persistence and ambition are paying off. We look forward to what he will bring to future events -- and The Teege, when I related Mr Cross's performance to him after said gig, is similarly impressed. "He's stepped up and it sounds like he's improving. I'm actually excited to see him perform again!"

Other familiar acts of the evening were met with similarly appreciative responses from the crowd. Alexander Oliver, rising star on the British comedy circuit and frequent Gonzo's Comedy Night contributor, gave a much more assured performance on the night, incorporating audience interaction with his consistently hilarious one-liners ("Physically I'm 22, but mentally I feel more like two 11-year-olds stuck together..."). Speaking to your jocular scribe after his performance, Mr Oliver revealed that he had leant less on audience reaction than his previous appearance at Gonzos, and by easing his mindset, it's apparent that he opened up fresh opportunities for off-the-cuff humour that are otherwise challenging to find in such a complex gigging environment as this particular venue's L-shaped room. Indeed, he held the entire audience rapt for the duration of his performance, and we heartily enjoyed his combination of twisted tales, quick quips and addled despondency with modern life.

Adele Cliff in action

Adele Cliff last came to Norwich armed with a notebook, from which she proclaimed wafty prose about lovelorn elbow-bumping and queried audience members about their likes and dislikes -- their responses leading into wordplay and puns. It was a similar story for the gig of 16th December, flecked with some sparky ad-hoc antics. Although a simulacrum of sorts, her on-stage persona would seem, if anything, a concentrated interpretation of her genuine personality. One gets the impression that Ms Cliff would be a lot more content with the world if it featured more people giving her biscuits.

Such is not to diminish her intellect, that is -- upon prefixing my approach for a White Mason Reviews interview with a hearty handshake and a cheerful greeting ("Hello, Tony From The Internet!"), Adele responded to my appraisal of her comedic style as 'weaponised awkwardness' with enthusiastic agreement. "What intrigues me about the feedback that I get is that... some of what I do, it's not a million miles from what a lot of today's male acts are doing," she noted. "But it's nothing like most of the female acts. So I get told that I'm the only woman doing this style of comedy, which puts me in this really unique position." She fizzes with enthusiasm as she relates the nuances of her craft, and it's a sentiment shared with her peers within the room on any Gonzo's Comedy Night -- the talent is here because it wants to be here.

Indeed, Alexander Oliver's post-show discussions hinged on enthusing about the next gig in town. That said, he demonstrates the kind of urgency to improve that defines most of the great comics of our time, to such a degree that one often has to reassure him that he's doing fantastically well. As the room thrummed in the post-show buzz, that's exactly what main man Nelson did, praising Alexander's audience interactivity, before confiding in me his plans for the future. "2016 is gonna be big," he grinned, visibly excited as plans percolated in his rapid mind. "January 29th!"

The coming year looks grand indeed for Gonzo's Comedy Nights, which has now established a troupe of familiar headliners who each bring a different slant to a night's chucklesome endeavours. Yet fresh acts, both local and national, continue to grace the stage in ways that lace intrigue for the year to come -- and White Mason Reviews looks forward to a comical cornucopia in the coming months!