The formula of tonight's show was different than usual for Travestees. Rather than a lineup of three or four acts and a compere, it featured Felix Dexter performing his show On the Edge (currently on a 27-date national tour), preceded by a warm-up act. Attendance was a little lower than usual at this time of year and although there was a decent-sized crowd, there were nevertheless a few spare seats. The opening act was Simon Clayton who, to avoid any confusion, immediately advised us he is not Howard from the Halifax advert, Penfold from the Danger Mouse cartoon, or even the love child of Fatima Whitbread and Bob Hoskins. The similarity to each of these was uncanny (and additionally he also reminded me somewhat of the Iranian comic Omid Djalili). Having said that, on tonight's dimly lit stage, illuminated by a solitary spotlight that shone feebly onto him, he could probably have even passed himself off as Kate Moss. He lightheartedly bemoaned the darkness throughout, describing the experience as probably similar to the blackout during the Blitz. A single moment of hope of seeing the light was dashed, when what he believed to be a lighting technician approaching the stage, turned out to be no more than a latecomer taking his seat. Clacton-on-Sea, size and sex Simon has been a standup comedian for over a decade, and it is fair to say that some of the jokes he is using now are much older than that, and as a result are cringe-worthily embarrassing.
 | | Simon Clayton |
Fortunately, this didn't matter as Simon is a personable chap, with spot-on delivery and a professional style that suits this type of material well. Consequently, he succeeded in winning over the audience from the first minute, and definitely proved that it's not what you say, but the way that you tell 'em! And what did he tell us? Well, we learned that his mum lives in the quaint fishing village of Clacton-on-Sea, a place, according to Simon, so rough that even the police patrol in tracksuits and trainers. Also, being a larger lad, he plumped (!) for some sizeist jokes but above all, sex was the major topic of his set. Although around 50 per cent of his act concerned this subject, sadly none of it is fit for reproduction (ahem) here. Simon was a more-than-adequate warm-up act, but would definitely benefit from updating his routine: a Tim Henman joke of which he seemed immensely proud, was doing the rounds about two years ago. After a short interval, it was time for the night's headline act. Felix Dexter London-based Felix is a well-respected standup comedian, as well as having appeared in such TV shows as Absolutely Fabulous, Grumpy Old Men, The Fast Show and The Real McCoy. He is also a theatre actor, having performed in a series of Shakespeare plays at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, and more recently alongside Christian Slater in the London stage production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Tonight's show sees Felix portray a number of very extreme, very stereotypical and very different black characters, each one of which has their own somewhat warped perception of the world. Firstly there is Nathaniel, a perpetual student who has been studying for 27 years, yet still hasn't passed any exams. He spends much of his time talking about sex and also wonders why all the black people have been banned from the event tonight! Then there is Samuel Benjamin, a militant London Underground ticket collector who, following an accident with a baseball bat and a passenger, has been suspended from duty. Samuel has a political viewpoint that could be considered somewhat right of centre. He's not a fan of political correctness: in the argument surrounding Jack Straw and the veil, he believes women should be seen and not heard rather than the other way around. He feels the world is mad when you can't criticise anyone for their race, their colour, or their sexual preference and he fears a world ruled by short, fat, black disabled lesbians. He is a man saddened by violence in the world and believes torture is the best solution to this - even for minor motoring offences. Another character is the elderly Owl, who arrived in the UK in the 1950s. He yearns for a return to the post-war years where people were more honest, when if you left your door open when you went out, you'd find your chicken seasoned and a nice meal cooked for you, rather than having your house burgled. Being elderly now, he is worried by the scaremongering news headlines, and upon reading that most muggings are carried out by black people, he is scared when most of his relatives visit in case they attack him. Sadly, his wife died recently while he was watching cricket on TV, but then again he hadn't asked her to go to the roof to fix the aerial. Nevertheless, as she was losing her looks it was probably for the best. Finally, there is the extremely posh, Oxbridge-educated lawyer Douglas who has high melanin content. Despite all this, and being betrothed to a Caucasian wife, he believes he is still in touch with his roots. He listens to Bob Marley and can relate to the voice of his brothers on the streets, even if his only contact with them is when defending them in court. Perceptive and intelligent standup Alongside these creations, Felix performed some perceptive and intelligent standup. He spoke about the state of the railways, tackled terrorism and anguished over American foreign policy - the Royal Family even took a hit too. There was discourse about the black community's reluctance to discuss homosexuality, which segued into a piece about the extreme, homophobic lyrics of rap music. Furthermore, he deliberated upon his relationship problems and how he finds that after three years, he is now programmed to switch off when his partner is talking to him. Conversely, she remembers the minutiae of their every conversation, however banal, in order to utilise it as ammunition later. He also discussed his stage acting, in particular his role of Autolycus in The Winter's Tale. He once forgot his lines and erroneously decided to make up some Shakespeare. Despite it being one of the bard's comedies, the jokes were somewhat outdated, which meant he did not get the laughs he was expecting. So, as you can see, this show features a wide and varied selection of material, and although it didn't really have me splitting my sides, it was intelligent and well-observed. The man sitting behind me obviously enjoyed it immensely, as his overbearing and raucous laughter was punctuated at every punch line with the statement "superb". The next Travestees show takes place at Glastonbury Tor Leisure on 29 November 2006 and features Mitch Benn as the headliner. | 
