Ivo Graham live review by Graham Finney
When you come away from an Ivo Graham show you will have learned as much as you will have laughed at the self-confessed posh twat who went to Eton and has multiple friends called Rupert. Using a tried, tested and winning formula, his latest stand-up show, “Grand Designs” rolls into York on this chilly Tuesday, Thursday, I mean Wednesday night and, an hour or so later, everyone leaves feeling that little bit happier and that little bit more knowledgeable.
The show’s first half involves an interactive quiz, which, as Ivo reads through the answers, smoothly leads into twenty or so minutes of audience interaction, during which we learn several things. First, the stand-up has an attention span of about four seconds, and second, the only things he loves more than Maltesers are Venn diagrams, lists, and PowerPoint slides—all of which are used throughout the show.
The core of the show, while not quite as structured as the lists he uses for reference or as organised as the Venn Diagram he uses for a routine about Italian Generals, biscuits and Boy’s School Dorm Games, is also not as chaotic as you would expect from somebody with an almost non-existent attention span.
There are plenty of football references throughout the show from dressing up as Gareth Southgate to his thoughts on the Euros and Glen Hoddle’s controversial dismissal from the England manager job, while a routine about some of his posh friends being made redundant earlier in the Summer looks like flying over the heads of most people before he drops the sucker punch as to who those “posh mates” he was referring to actually were.
Elsewhere, the show sees Graham discuss his childhood, a love of music he shares with his friends and a chaotic Stag Do which he was left to organise. Regularly linking back to his relationship with both his father and Daughter throughout the show, Graham talks about being “pop-blocked” from his own Dad during an annual bonding exercise over live music while teaching his daughter negotiation skills which are now being used against him.
All of this leads to a finale which sees a slightly bemused audience member being coerced onto the stage for a frantic and confetti-filled end to the show. While the confetti cannons were probably grabbed from one of those budget party stores on the way into York, the execution of the final routine inside his chaotic head is probably something more in line with a huge Glastonbury finale. Either way, it ends a show which may not have a grand production but, in keeping with the title “Grand Designs”, is big on laughs.
To keep up with all of Ivo’s tour dates, head over to his Official Website here.
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