This show begins with the titanic theme song, My Heart Will go on by Celine Dion, which you can hear radiating from the venue before you even step through the door. This perfectly encapsulates the vibe of this show. It is loud, obnoxious, dreadfully funny, and occasionally wet (even when it’s not supposed to be).
After the movie-premiere-like introduction to the venue, Phil Ellis (the powerhouse behind the show) warned us that he was sometimes confused as none other than Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be executed in the United Kingdom. This was just the start of the dark humour in this show, ranging from cancer to murdered aunts. You would not want to go to this show if you are feeling in any way fragile!
Audience interaction is a huge part of this comedy act, and it’s why it’s so good. Phil, who often goes off on a tangent while trying to tell a story, can spin the humour to cater to not only the person he has picked out in the crowd but the reaction of the crowd itself as the show goes along.
One of my favourite moments of the show was on the topic of house shares, and the eventual difficulties of moving out. When asked if anyone in the audience had been in a house share, one lady in the front row raised her hand. She shared that she had recently moved out of a house share in London due to a rat infestation. Phil then spent the next 20 minutes talking about his own problematic mouse stories.
This comedian goes with the flow and leans into the shambles a mixed audience can sometimes create. If you can make me laugh about capital punishment you have my vote.
Phil Ellis: Bath Mat, 13:55, Monkey Barrel, August 3 – 30
Molly Reay
