I was pleasantly surprised by the jovial - if a little juvenile – humour of warm up act Carl Donnelly, an odd-looking curly haired Londoner who had the unenviable task of warming up an army of fans craving an angry Welshman.
A well-timed interval was inserted, it appeared, to give Rhod opportunity to obtain a drink himself before bursting onto the Philharmonic stage clasping a full can of Fosters.
Despite rousing applause, a grimace is fixed upon Gilbert’s face as he launches into his two-hour rant. Drops of Fosters and spittle spray the front row as he swings the can in unison with verbal assaults on audience members brave enough to be seated in a box or bring along their young teenage son to the gig.
Disappointment amongst the crowd was palpable as Gilbert revealed the unusual title for his show - The Cat That Looked Like Nicolas Lyndhurst – had nothing to do with its content. Plucking the words from thin air, he explained, in order to swerve unwanted attention from a thoughtful stalker who has presented him with gifts related to the titles of his last two tours. This title ought to put an end to his antics, and Rhod is triumphant in claiming petty victory.
Those familiar with the gruff voiced bile-filled comedian’s previous work will know that the smallest of life’s inconveniences can whip his temper into a frenzy.
Hoovers, washing machines, journalists... all ‘minor irritations’ in the last year which finally culminated to force Rhod into the ultimate in exasperating activities: Anger Management sessions.
Dumped by his girlfriend, chucked out by his landlord and on the brink of being abandoned by his agent, he was left with no choice but to be regressed back to his childhood to discover why he is the way he is.
This is, without doubt, the most cleverly woven show of his previous three. As a fan of Rhod’s work, his infamous RyanAir routine and fury over a service station’s award-winning mince pie, it was a pity that parts of his material dragged, not least due to his incessant need to hammer home a point without delivering any belly laughs as reward.
But, thankfully, Rhod’s ability to ad-lib is where his talent for drawing big laughs really lies. Comedy karaoke ensues as shouts of “LUGGAGE!” and “RYANAIR!” come screaming from the rafters and he finally concedes to the requests, grabbing a table leg to clumsily deliver an abridged version of the routine with great aplomb.
Stick with Rhod through the lulls in the mid-section and wait with baited breath to see if his clever avoidance tactic in naming his show in the most bizarre manner paid off.
7/10
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