It is not very often you get to see a quality award-winning Welsh-Italian comedian in a converted chapel in the rural hills of the far northern corner of Cardiff, the village of Pentyrch. In fact I’d go as far as to say it has never happened before. This was a treat of a performance by Rod Woodward, who was recently crowned ‘Best Best Newcomer’ at the Royal Variety show.
Comedy performances can be judged on the way the audience laughs as much as by analysing the performance of the star. So when you have a woman snorting piggy-giggles throughout, another woman visibly crying tears and a man with a red tomato face heaving with laughter you know it is funny.
Rod Woodward takes the every day and makes it absurd. His careful deconstruction of Welsh colloquial phrases such as: ‘Would you like a cup of tea?’ ‘Well only if you’re having one’ and in that sense he’s a more cheerful and quicker Stewart Lee, with a bit of Tim Vine one-liners thrown in for good measure.
Woodward exudes confidence on stage giving the impression that he has honed his comedy routine as Machen’s funny man since he was a kid. One joke that made the whole house erupt was about his Nan’s Dado Rail. Asked after the show if he told that joke at his recent show in Dubai he replied “Oh no, I toned it down for that show”.
My only real criticism from a performance aspect was the song at the end. There is no doubt Woodward can sing but he needs to put the same punch and pizazz into his singing performance.
Anyway, for those who did miss it, Acapela Studio will be running a series of these events and has produced a little montage of the night
Reviewer’s Advice: look up Rod Woodward on Youtube, and then go to an upcoming show, you will not be disappointed.
Photo credit: Rod Woodward’s official website – http://www.rodwoodward.co.uk/index.php
