BWW Reviews: HOWLIN' COMEDY CLUB, New Wimbledon Theatre Studio, April 30 2012

“GSOH” is up there with “OMG” and “LOL” as newish, but almost universally recognised, abbreviations – but what is a Good Sense Of Humour? The truth is that there are as many senses of humour as there are people and what is “good” tends to be that which most closely coincides with the sense of humour of the person making the judgement. After all, do you need a good or bad sense of humour to find Charlie Chaplin / Jerry Sadowitz / James Corden funny?

Backroom-in-a-pub style stand-up shows have always circumvented the subjective element of “good” comedy by slating a bill of comics linked by a compere -  so you’re never far away from the next guy (sometimes gal, but not so often, even these days) who might make you laugh more than the one standing there with the mic. Howlin’ Comedy Club (at New Wimbledon Theatre Studio last Mondays of each month) obeys that simple formula, with the added bonus that Monday nights can be a little slow for a jobbing comic, so they can get some big names to an intimate venue.

April’s show was hosted by Kevin McCarthy, an old pro with an avuncular approach to self-deprecation, but not short of the barbs that make live stand-up with audience participation a different experience to television specials or one-man mega shows with Christmas DVD tie-ins. First up was Wimbledon’s panto dame of five months ago, Eric Potts, bashing away at no frills airlines. Next on was Michael Fabbri, hiding some near the knuckle material behind an Eddie Izzardish stage presence and plenty of personal charm. Andrew Bird closed with reflections on being a father delivered with a pleasing (and realistic) mix of wonder and fear.

None of last night’s material will threaten the foundations of society (as stand-up briefly, ever so briefly, purported to do a generation ago) but it was comedy stripped back to its essentials – one man, live, with a mic standing in a watery spotlight who has to make us laugh. You’re never quite sure what you’ll get at a show like this, except one thing – it’ll be different next month.