Stewart Lee: Tornado

Clever, surprising and hilarious. Stewart Lee still has it and this left me wanting more. I think he still has a few years left until he becomes extremely bitter, negative and unfunny.... At least he's still funny here. He plays the audience a treat and his take down of his peers still appeals to my devilish side! I know Stewart is not liked by everyone and he is seen as maybe too left for some but you cannot argue with his ability to entertain whether it's to laugh out loud, cringe a little or feel uncomfortable in the moment. I thoroughly enjoyed this show and for me he is just getting better and better, a master at work.

Such is the state of comedy in our new "woke" era that, to review a comedian properly, requires almost a declaimer. So here is the disclaimer. Most modern comics are not funny. They are energetic, they are interesting, they are stylish, but they are not funny. Comedy consists of two main ingredients, material and delivery. Modern comics have energetic delivery. But nothing to say. If anything, the success of the Netflix Funny Women of a Certain Age series, intended for one segment only and expanded to three, proves this. So, disclaimer aside, Lee is the real deal. His connection with the audience is nothing short of astonishing, like a Jedi master who knows what you are thinking before you think it. This creates a dynamic which is more powerful than the droll one-liners usually seen in modern sets. There is some irony is his obvious dislike for Gervais, because their styles are very similar. But Lee pulls it off -- acting superior to the audience while still making them laugh -- in a more delicate way. Recommended. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

The acerbic accompaniment to "Snowflake" was meant to be broadcast a week after but was delayed due to a monarch's demise. All comedy debuts were and it was a shame really because it really effectively builds on the momentum of the first show. If the first one was more introspective this one is wildly energetic, and a really well-constructed bit of tight comedy that builds to a fantastically sharp punchline. Stew has decided that the best outlet for his bitter stage persona is to rail against more popular (but less acclaimed) comedians and they're a fantastic target for him. As such this feels blistering and vital. Do watch both if you can, one after the other, as I'm certain Liz would have actually wanted.

In what is surely the last taped performance before his long awaited death, Stewart Lee pleads us to listen to his middle-aged ramblings in much the same way a starving tramp begs us for change; criticizing richer, more popular comedians in one last desperate attempt to find a wider market for his bitterness, whilst simultaniously calling on the voices of legends we thought were dead to help him fill the last twenty minutes with something approaching substance.

Obviously, Lee fails at this, remaining fat and charmless and fat until he thankfully stops speaking after an hour that feels like its been spent with your Uncle.

(I don't want to put too much emphasis on his weight but he was clearly gasping for air at points and this meant he couldn't perform the stronger parts of his set with the energy required)

In conclusion, when he dies (within the year, I'm sure) people will probably elevate this to some kind of acceptable level of art, but until then Tornado will remain a Madras stain on an outstanding electric bill; irrelevant and vaguely annoying.

8/10.