Guy Montgomery: Guy MontgoMERRY Christmas - review

What a talented guy. In this, the “first Christmas show of the year!” Guy Montgomery puts his commanding and yet endearing stage presence to full use, wearing, for most of the time, nothing but a pair of see-through tights and a cod-piece so ridiculous it looks like a harmless little snail’s shell. He’s pitch-perfect when he’s picking on the audience – not too harsh, not too soft  – and as that costume reveals he’s prepared to make a dick of himself too. He’s got great timing and a very sharp, very quick wit. And a lot of pretty good jokes.

Doing a Christmas show shortly after Easter is a good idea, and he mines his subject well for the laughs. But he doesn’t really mine it for anything else. What’s this show about? Nothing, really. It’s just jokes, general silliness. And I laughed, good-humouredly, cooperatively, quite a lot.

Is that enough? Funny guys are allowed to make us laugh without feeling they have to solve the problems of the world, aren’t they? But Guy Montgomery is really talented. Doesn’t he want to put us on the edge? Do something dangerous, take us somewhere dangerous, so that the rewards are deeper?

One other thing about that talent. He can’t speak in falsetto or hit the high notes in his songs, and he makes a joke of this. But why is it funny? The only reason he can’t do it is that he’s busy wrecking his voice by bellowing at other times.

If you want a fun show, this one certainly does tick the boxes. Me, I’d like to see him sharpen it up and take some risks. Because for Guy Montgomery, just taking most of your clothes off isn’t really risky. That’s his comfort zone.

Guy MontgoMERRY Christmas, until May 14, Montecristo. Book tickets.