CityLife

Lee Mack: Going Out

Lee Mack

Lee Mack
Middleton Arena
January 31, 2010

YOU'RE never quite sure what you will get with a comedian like Lee Mack – something those sitting on the front row of the comedian's Middleton gig will attest to.

Within two minutes of bursting on stage the Blackburn-comedian had trapped a man in padlocked box and accused another of being paedophile.

Both men however took it with good humour and set the standard for a 90-minute interactive evening of comedy at Middleton Arena on Sunday evening.

Mack is an increasingly popular face on television and a stable of the comedy-panel show circuit and it is to his credit that there was no recycled material on his live show.

Too many comedians let themselves down by nestling themselves in proven laugh winners trotted out time after time.

But everything Mack delivered was fresh and new – he even declined requests from the audience to repeat old favourites.

Presenting new material also gave Mack the freedom to drop or include jokes based on the reaction of the audience.

Energetic

Material he openly admitted died in other venues was given a run out because of the audiences positive reception to him.

If the jokes were new, the foundations were not. Mack drew frequently on favourite topics including his northern roots and the north-south divide.

He was also able to draw frequently on the audience for inspiration, revealing in a question and answer session for his encore.

His set, like his style, was energetic and pacey. The jokes were delivered quickly, the topic discarded, and the next punchline lined up.

It offered great value, but the audience may have been left exhausted at the barrage of jokes fired at them.

There was no faulting Mack for offering value for money, his set was full of original humour and the audience lapped up what he served, particularly when he turned on Middleton itself.

But there was an exhausting feeling to it all. Mack burst onto the stage and never really slowed down for 90 minutes.

Mack's star will no doubt continue to rise as he continues his nationwide sell-out tour, as will Middleton Arena's for hosting another big name comedian.