Simon Evans – Live At The Theatre Royal

While this is Evans' first DVD, he's been a well-known member of the British comedy circuit for close to two decades now and the true skill of a comedy veteran clearly shows. This show is a gem and is possibly the purest demonstration of comedic craftsmanship I have come across in a long time.What I mean is this: As Evans himself stated in a recent interview, this show is not so much about the topics he talks about (ranging from family life to British regional stereotypes) as it is about creating laughter every few seconds. There is no big message here that will change your view on life or society. Instead, Evans seems to be able to tackle any random topic, even the most generic one, and make it funny, because he just knows how comedy works. He has the tools. He knows how to write a joke, he knows how to twist the audience's expectations every few seconds, he knows how to avoid the boring, all too obvious punchline (I'm looking at you, McIntyre!) and he can apply these mechanism successfully to any situation. This is combined with the confident delivery and stage presence that you'd expect of a veteran, which allows the audience to lean back and relax, knowing that they can trust him to deliver a solid 1,5h performance.If I had to find an analogy to describe it to someone who is new to comedy, I would say this: Knowing about the popular mainstream singers and bands on TV and radio, have you ever been to a music festival where you encountered a not-so-flashy, lesser known musician who doesn't fill stadiums jumping around on stage, but who could actually play his instrument more skillfully than most of his flashy, better-known peers? I think Evans is like that. He just knows his stuff. He may not be the creative genius who defines his field or whose art influences society either, but he is the expert craftsman. Metaphorically speaking, he doesn't design the most innovative, wacky skyscraper, he builds a solid house. He doesn't write the work that pushes boundaries, but can write a solid novel every year. So, in comedy terms, you won't find the influential routines of a Carlin, Prior or Izzard that people will quote to each other in 20 years or discuss on the web the next day, but as Louis C.K. and Chris Rock once said: Underneath everything a comedian presents on stage, underneath whatever persona, message or attitude one tries to get across: It's gotta have well-constructed jokes underneath it! And in that respect, Evans can hang with the best of them. So don't miss out and buy this DVD.

Seen Simon Evans on Live at the Apollo on tv. Thought he was good so bought his dvd. It has all the stuff I have already seen which is great since I enjoyed it the first time round & again the second. It is very funny but not in a belly-laugh kind of way. It's more about how we think & feel but would not necessarily voice or even put into practice!! His honesty & delivery are spot on. It is certainly different. I give it 4 stars rather than 5 because I would prefer to have seen him not use the mic stand as a prop, especially his swinging it backwards & forward for most of the show which did begin to irritate me some. Having said that I am looking forward to watching it again since some of the material is brilliant & he does stand apart from other comedians in a kind of Stewart Lee sort of way rather than a Michael McIntyre gesticulated way. Both of whom I love. To sum up - this dvd is well worth watching & I am more than pleased I bought it. I can now watch it again - & again!!

As he alludes to in the opening for this performance, it's a collection of his observations that fans will have seen on one of his many appearances in various comedy shows all in one convenient location, so nothing "new". That said, achingly funny. Dry wit, sarcasm and punchlines not going exactly where you'd think. Definitely worth buying.

I have watched a number of comedy dvds this Xmas, but by far this was head and shoulders above the rest. This is the funniest comedy set I've seen in a very long time. Smart, intelligent, incisive. Dissects the human condition with a dry, rapier wit that had me crying with laughter. I saw Simon Evans do a small bit on the Commonweath Games comedy gig and was hooked. The full set was even better - and the second half of the set is even funnier than the first! I cannot wait to show it to my family to see their reaction and enjoy it again myself. Buy it, and buy one for a friend! If I could give it 6 stars or more I would do, and it would be wholly justified. You will not be disappointed!!

Not the funniest comedy show I've ever seen, but still plenty of laughs for your money. He's obviously been around the comedy block a few times, and knows when the laughs are coming, which leads to a slight tendency to pause, wait for the laugh and only then carry on, which jars just a wee bit. On the other hand it's the sort of thing I might be tempted to watch again... which I guess is much of the point of getting something on DVD... so it wins on that score.

I was recovering from a migraine so watched a couple of comedy DVDs back to back, one by a young comedian and the other by Mr Evans. The Simon Evans DVD gets my vote as it wasn't laden with jokes about vomiting and excrement. Instead, it was non-PC observational comedy. He shoots down society's sacred cows but is also willing to self deprecate.

Was at the recording, bought this as an Xmas gift for the girl I went with; she had the same idea... Despite a close up which looks like somebody attempted to draw my face on a marshmallow, the act itself is what fans of Mr Evans have come to expect. Self deprication with a sharp eye for the inexactitudes & unexamined oddities of what we accept as modern life. Not particularly PC and all the better for it, and not the fastest paced stand-up, but great fun nonetheless & a classic of the genre.

I like Simon Evans dry sense of humour, slightly 'snobbish' but worth a listen. Doesn't get as much TV as he could. This is a recording of a gig and seemingly not in front of an audience comprising his fan club. Worth a viewing before he potentially could become a big name.