Review: IAN SMITH: CRUSHING, Soho Theatre

“Well, what have we learned?”

“A show about stress, love and driving a tank with your hairdresser.” If that show description doesn’t capture your attention, I don’t know what will. Ian Smith: Crushing at the Soho Theatre is an hour-long comedy in which Smith describes what his life has been like recently, particularly the stress that has been a part of his life post-engagement.

To quote Smith himself, “Even when good things happen to me, it’s still stressful.” Whether it’s a sensory deprivation tank or being a Northerner, Smith has something to stress about.

From the beginning, Smith was interacting with the audience, commenting on how close some seats were to one side of the stage compared to a lack of seats on the other side, which he claimed would be so no one would have to see his “sad side,” a joke that comes back several times throughout the show. But luckily, there is rarely a need to see Smith’s sad side.

Even though the general theme of the show is stress, Smith never lets his own overwhelming thoughts worry the audience. From a Blackpool hotel employee giving too many details about a previous visitor to being criticised for how he pronounces the letter “h” (who knew it took so many letters to pronounce a singular letter?), Smith makes each story he tells hilarious, allowing the audience to laugh with him at the bizarre events in his life. My particular favourite was one comparing the “Tooth Fairy” and the “Arm Fairy,” imagining what the latter would look like to hilarity.

One of the most interesting aspects of the show was seeing Smith work through some strange crowdwork, including a bit about uses for glass pudding bowls that went into a discussion on T cells and the importance of immunity. Somehow, Smith was able to take moments like these and make them hilarious, working through even his own confusion to make the situation entertaining. There was also another interesting yet amusing interaction in which the masculinity of mouthguards was debated. 

Ultimately, Ian Smith: Crushing is a fantastic hour of standup that allows Smith to show off his observational comedy skills, telling stories that lead up to the moment he found himself in a tank with his hairdresser. You may not learn anything from Smith’s stressful stories, but they are certainly fun!

Ian Smith: Crushing is at Soho Theatre until 7 October

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