In recent months Seann Walsh has become one of comedy’s hottest properties. He has various television projects in the pipeline but he is best experienced live. He positively hurtled onstage last night, hitting his stride in seconds.
The Lie-In King is an enjoyably paradoxical show, as Walsh works hard to reveal how lazy he is. He slumps like a slug across three chairs, he acts out lurching to the shop to buy toilet rolls and, best of all, he reflects on the strain of opening the door for the pizza delivery man. Life would be simpler, he suggests, if they broke in.
Elsewhere he flings himself around to add useful extra punch to some of the more predictable riffs on the fakery of advertising and the decline of music, blond mane flying, like a leonine Lee Evans. Skilful vocal trickery increases the fun. A quick-fire Michael McIntyre impression is so chillingly accurate he could host the superstar’s chat show if he pulled a sickie.
Walsh claims that now he is 27 he gets tired just eating a baguette, but there was no hint of exhaustion here. He might be an old-school lad, mocking yoga and celebrating boozing, but he is a very talented, very funny, very energetic old-school lad.
Until April 19 (020 7478 0100, sohotheatre.com)
