Saturday Night Live
Being a stand up comedy fan (yeah, local politics is a blast) I was thrilled to learn that Ed Byrne was going to perform in Malta. I had watched bits and pieces of his act on TV and was blown away by one skit he had about Alanis Morissette. Click here.
So off I went to Qawra with a bag of anticipation and a pocketful of expectations. Both the compere and the first act were good. Nothing you'd write home about though. Just a bit on your blog would be enough. Glenn Wool was funny although I think his style of comedy was not fully appreciated by the Maltese audience (excluding of course any mention of Arabs. Something that is guaranteed to go down pretty well with the locals). He was fun though ("Don't mix acid with cocaine. The last thing you'll need when having hallucinations is confidence..."). Unfortunately I couldn't fully get what he was on about. Whether this was due to his drunken-like mumbling or his accent I am not quite sure . Having said that I think that all in all he was the perfect warm up for the comedy master.
Not really too much to say about Ed Byrne. All the press quotes on his website are pretty spot on and the title of 'comedy master' doesn't in anyway feel like an exaggeration. Don't really wish to hype him up too much but what the heck, the bloke deserves it. His unpretentiousness is enchantingly charming and his material is sure to instantly win over the king of cynics. Those of you who missed it, well, tough shit. Your loss folks, wait for his DVD.
Obviously these type of articles usually end up with the obligatory thanking of the sponsors, the cheers to the organisers for a fun night etc. I won't do it. To tell you the truth I think that irrespective of how great a night it was, LM9.50 is a bit expensive for less than 3 hours worth of entertainment. The organisers are sure to be milking this niche market (made up of a majority of yuppies) and we live-comedy-deprived lot pay for it. So although theoretically I think it's expensive; in practice, I think I would pay again to see comic acts of Ed's caliber. It's not like I can catch a plane and go to London whenever I'm in need of comedy now can I? The departure tax would square it up, wouldn't it?
posted by Peklectrick at 11:21 PM
2 Comments:
Lucky you to see Byrne live. I'm still wondering about the "expensive" bit. I feel that you sort of replied to your assessment later on by stating that "it's not like you can catch a plane to London every weekend". I mean a good stand up show which (including side acts) lasts 3 hours and fills an evening could be worth Lm10 no?
Just wondering. Because in the end what would be a good price (considering costs and the interest of making a profit) to pay to be able to watch good comedians at least once a month? The only way the value could be enhanced is by setting up a prime stand-up comedy spot in Valletta for example and create a regular flow for comedians. Once it becomes popular it would finance itself much easier and the end result might (might - barring the kill the golden egg laying goose syndrome) even benefit the consumer...
... us humour hungry individuals!
Fair enough. I'm just going through a 'trying to save every penny phase'...Recording is expensive you know. :)
The thing is this: Buying the ticket (with girlfriend), a taxi ride back home (I don't drive), a couple of drinks (being modest) you'll end up with a LM30 bill for a night out.
On the other hand, it's not like I've never spent that much alone on a binge either.
The point I was trying to make was this: LM9.50 is expensive to pay for acts you don't know about. If it's somebody you know and love, then it's worth it. But I won't go to these show to check an act out.
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