Another local lad done well, Matt Forde hits a packed out Playhouse on his End of an Era tour...
Presenter, impressionist, comedian and Forest fan, three out of four ain’t bad for this loyal Magpie who found tonight’s demographics difficult to identify. Mainly 40+, white, mainstream and well-heeled. It is only when the crowd cheers when he says the words ‘Forest’ and ‘Farage’ that I know who they are.
With the world of politics providing ample material for his wit and ability to mimic, he is Spitting Image for the austerity generation. All stripped down to perfectly executed impressions without the expense of rubber masks, props and television. His standout is Trump, perfectly capturing the idiosyncrasies of surely the most egotistical narcissist whoever entered the Whitehouse. Mimicking the moment when Starmer hands over the letter from the King, inviting him for a state visit, he mines the comedy as Starmer feeds Trumps narcissistic ego, using Trump's own language such as 'great letter', 'beautiful', 'unprecedented' and 'special'. This concludes with an impression of the King stating “He can only come to Windsor! We can’t have another racist in the palace.”
Forde then brings it closer to home with astute observations and excellent impression of Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak, Lee Anderson and Farage. His acute and accurate impressions of these politicians are deftly performed, reinforcing the natural comedy that comes with each character. Johnson is the chaotic chancer who killed your gran and would screw anything. Sunak is a Thunderbird puppet whilst Lee Anderson is the conspiracy theorist who took your dinner money off you at school. His acerbic wit, superb impressions and comedic timing is spread evenly, extracting the urine with Starmer and his cabinet. Rachel Reeves ends each speech as a cockney whilst he played Angela Rayner as a feisty northern lass who wouldn't take a hit from anyone.
the crass, emotional nudity of surviving cancer
Forde twines the crass, emotional nudity of surviving cancer with the comedy that he finds within it. Having had the base of his spine removed, describing it as a bum lift, which means he has a colostomy bag for life, which he finds very practical and efficient. Using this to voice his disgust as he berates the audience for the perverse way they excrete. He reveals sentimental moments along his road to recovery; milking it for the heartfelt gratefulness and existentialist crises, he’s experienced before changing gear. Dropping down into comedy that somehow manages to have Playhouse laughing at how he will never again have an erection, and that it was like having a pet put down when he agreed to the operation. For many, in any profession such a diagnosis would be devastatingly brutal. But as a comedic entertainer, he has climbed back on horse, using it to take his comedy in unchartered waters with credibility, which can only be applauded.
With current politics entering an insane era, locally, nationally and globally, this reviewer certainly seeks an end to it. But whilst we have impressionists with the comedic wit of Matt Forde, at least it is going to be entertaining, if not terrifying.
Matt Forde: The End Of An Era played at the Nottingham Playhouse on Thursday June 5th 2025.
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