★★★★
For someone who had never watched Britain’s Got Talent, I came to Mitchell’s comedy fresh. But I can see why they made it to the final. With an energy and speedy delivery that never drags, their debut hour at the fringe is an accomplished and intelligent stream of consciousness that has an intelligent focus. I am glad Mitchell never dumbs down his observations and opinions. Sure, there is a lot of early 20-something preoccupations (dating, living with your parents etc), but when it’s coming from a queer disabled performer, it’s not something we get to hear about as much as we should. The behind the scenes stories from BGT were great, as was the vendetta against Kirstie Allsopp. The Venn Diagram pay-off was so brilliantly realised, only for it to be thrown away after a moment, they could’ve got a lot out of it, perhaps it’s a testament to that speediness that never lingers on an idea for too long.
Mitchell is an example of the two elements of stand-up that are often as loggerheads. How do you be the stand-up you want to be, and say the things you want to, when the road to Live at the Apollo is paved with appealing to the lowest common denominator. I can’t imagine that Mitchell’s set-pieces would work on Tik-Tok, but I assure you that’s a compliment. I hope Mitchell keeps this style and isn’t lured by the promise of blander more popular material. I mean they’ve already gone through the manufactured complex of BGT, perhaps they know the pitfalls better than the rest of us?
Alex Mitchell: Ticks towards Puffection is on at BAR 50 – The Alcove, till August 25th
