Danny Bhoy: Dear Epson – Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield

Writer: Danny Bhoy

Reviewer: Ruth Jepson

The Public Reviews Rating:

As Danny Bhoy introduces it himself, Tuesday night comedy gigs are hard. Especially in Huddersfield to an audience of approximately fifty, most of whom don’t appear to have actually heard of the headliner before.

Tough crowd.

Credit to Bhoy, he copes admirably with the fact that he is performing to a less than full theatre, turning the empty seats into an opening skit which wins the spectators over. A rapport builds nicely and heckles are battered back and forth before the meat of the show begins. Dear Epson is a reference to Bhoy’s recent spate of letter writing to big companies, comically complaining about the little things that, let’s be honest, really annoy us all in everyday life. Rants are given, amongst other things, about the price of printer ink, the false time reversing claim of a famous skincare brand, and razor blade packets which you need the contents to actually open in the first place. In between the audience are treated to some context and amusing anecdotes and observations, like the story of how this very Scottish comic got booked to play at the Irish American Comedy Festival in New York.

Bhoy repeatedly jokes about being an International Superstar, however he is less well known in the UK. While this may work against him in terms of ticket sales, he is a comedian worth seeing. Some of the delivery may be a little clunky, and sitting listening to a man read out letters for half his show may not be your idea of a good night out, but the laughs are very frequent and occasionally so out of the left field that you find yourself unable to breathe. The style Bhoy writes his letters in is a perfect mix of disgruntled Scot and cheeky chappy, and it’s just a shame they’re not complimented by responses from the addressees. Hearing the companies react to such blatant micky taking would have added an extra dimension that is just stopping Dear Epson from being a contender with some of the bigger comic tours currently going on around the country. On the other hand, Bhoy is quick to point out that he is currently only trialling the new material (the tour is advertised as ‘Wonderlust’, his last show) so hopefully improvements can be made along the way.

Overall, Bhoy is an amusing comic and worth seeing if he rocks up to your town.

Danny Bhoy: Dear Epson – Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield, 3.7 out of 5 based on 3 ratings