What are British people most angry about? Austerity? Isis? Cameron’s porker? Nope, according to Michael McIntyre, it’s notepad-less waiters. Just a mention of their casual arrogance gets a hiss of recognition from tonight’s 14,000-strong crowd, and the bouncy-haired stand-up can’t help but laugh. ‘This is what gets people riled up!’
Of course, McIntyre isn’t looking to change the world with his fluffy brand of observationalism. As his show title suggests, this is big, feelgood stand-up – free from politics or contention – focusing on very British problems.
‘Happy & Glorious’ is a slow-burner. McIntyre opens with a few topical thoughts on the softest of news stories – the rugby world cup, the blood moon – and it takes a while for the 39-year-old comic to hit his stride. We’re 20 minutes in before the first big laugh of recognition, thanks to a well-observed routine about our sleep habits, after brief thoughts on FaceTime and raising his kids by ‘frisbeeing’ them iPads.
When those big highs hit – comparing picking a public toilet cubicle to ‘Deal or No Deal’, for instance, or deconstructing the British approach to getting in a swimming pool – they hit big, and waves of laughter fill the arena. But, strangely, those truly resonating moments rarely crop up in this 80-minute show. ‘Happy & Glorious’ is, for the most part, a little flat.
Perhaps it’s because McIntyre focuses a large chunk of the show on his recent move to the country, and the culture shock of giving up his city boy comforts of mobile phone reception and street lamps. The routine has its moments, but it’s tricky for tonight’s London punters to imagine their own lives as the rose-cheeked stand-up’s. There are some well-worn topics in here, too, and McIntyre doesn’t offer much new to the Starbucks name game or the twice-a-year frustration of having to correct the clock in the car.
It’s largely business as usual for the king of mainstream stand-up, if a little one-note by McIntyre’s standard. He delivers what the audience ordered, he just occasionally forgets the extra spice.
By Ben Williams