Lee Nelson, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury - review
Nursing Theresa May's cold from the Tory party conference, comedian Simon Brodkin was back at it again last night after presenting the Prime Minister with her P45.
Best known for turning up at big public events, the 40-year-old has heckled the likes of FIFA president Sepp Blatter, Kanye West and even Donald Trump.
But in the picturesque settings of the Theatre Severn in Shrewsbury it was his cheeky-chappy chav alter ego Lee Nelson taking to the stage.
See Lee Nelson's P45 stunt here:
When he first started appearing on our television screens, Nelson sported a popped collar polo and blue cap but now he's swapped his chavvy threads for a two-piece suit – albeit with a security tag still attached to the arm.
With The Who's Baba O'Riley blaring loudly, he arrived on stage to a rapturous welcoming after arduously urging the crowd to egg him on.
Things started well, as he warned the stage he wasn't feeling his best after returning from Manchester.
"I'm a little bit under the weather, I caught quite a bad cough off the Prime Minister but the show will go on," he said.
He interacted with the crowd throughout the night with the inevitable latecomers receiving some embarrassing abuse.
From his love life to Brexit – his jokes were met with unbridled laughter throughout the room, but at moments you couldn't help but squirm.
Some quips lacked any actual wit and focused on laughing at eastern Europeans ("whose jobs have you taken?") and a Chinese woman close to front ("In China they don't even sell Guess Who").
In stages it was nothing short of boring and simply predictable.
The highlight was when Nelson revealed his charming side by inviting poor 13-year-old Jay on stage for a selfie and free signed cap – after the poor lad endured an evening of grilling. The lad did take it well though.
Perhaps sticking to heckling public figures would be best for Brodkin. Does anyone have a P45 going spare?
