Mark Thomas, the ‘godfather of political comedy’ brings his Gaffa Tapes show to a sold-out audience at the Lakeside Arts Theatre. So how did it unwind?
Mark Thomas, the ‘godfather of political comedy’ was at the Lakeside Arts Theatre on Friday night with his sold-out show Gaffa Tapes.
His opening gambit took us to the punchline about Andrea Leadsom (the former Tory MP) and we were off. Straight into the 14 years he has waited to slag off a Labour government and into the taxing of billionaires. ‘Stop the jets’ was his suggested slogan as he called for a ban any non-tax paying billionaires from leaving the country. From there we had his offer to edit the Daily Mail and fill it with headlines like ‘Turner artist throws painting at soup’ before he led us into a full comedic sketch on the hapless campaign antics of Rishi Sunak, filled with brilliant observational comedy and clever one liners.
With a delivery that is fast-paced, and perfectly timed, Mark Thomas is a master of impersonation. His use of accent and expression reminds you that he has more recently been in theatre, touring plays and doing prison workshops. All of which has left him skint and back on the comedy circuit, treating us to jokes like his new definition of the term Farage - ‘the liquid found at the bottom of a bin’.
Despite the swearing, he isn’t standing on the sidelines shouting out abuse
Yet it wasn’t all fun and games and threaded through his humour were serious messages about the state of our democracy. How over the last 27 years our prime ministers have resigned rather than face the electorate and be voted out of office. He talked of his walk in 2009 along the length of the Israeli wall in the West Bank and in reenacting a past sketch he asked the question ‘what does Israel have to do before we name it a genocide?’
Mark Thomas’s political passion is clear, but this wasn’t an angry show. Despite the swearing, he isn’t standing on the sidelines shouting out abuse. There is an obvious call for kindness underpinning his comedy which is overlaid by a long history of political activism that takes you past any hopelessness that can be felt in these current times. The audience was understandably packed with people of similar political outlooks and to say he was amongst friends would be to play down the unanimity. This was more like family coming together for reassurance.
Yet it is important to not undersell his exceptional comedic skill. He joked that he should be doing the cruise ship circuit, and whilst I’m not sure what they would make of his left-wing rhetoric, there is no doubt that without it, he could be filling larger venues. In a performance that appears effortless he draws on the absurd and places it amongst the everyday, interspersed with insightful and intelligent observations and astute cultural referencing. There is a surprising beauty in his use of language that carries his performance beyond politics. If you like intelligent comedy that is rich in both language and performance, Mark Thomas is your man.
Mark Thomas:Gaffa Tapes played at the Lakeside Arts on Friday 25th of October 2024.
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