Somebody once said that one should never discuss politics in public social settings but there has surely never been a better time for a comedian who wants to design a show round just this subject! Matt Forde is the man who has taken on this mantle and no stone is left unturned in his take on Britain’s current political goings-on.
Much leverage is obviously taken from Brexit as Forde attempts to assess what went wrong for the ‘Stronger In’ campaign while showing off his talents as an impressionist. His Boris Johnson is adept, his David Cameron accomplished and his Gordon Brown downright uncanny. Whatever side of the argument the audience is on there is plenty to laugh about as Forde points out where the two campaigns won and lost.
After dissecting the European Referendum, he moves on to party politics, both Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May in for their fair share of ridicule, and picks out some of his favourite political stories from the back benches in the last year. He cannot help but touch on the United States Presidential election astounded by a New York taxi driver who told him on a visit to the city earlier this year that “crazy times need a crazy guy!”
It is an astute comedian who can sense the atmosphere in the room and build up a successful rapport with his audience and Forde maintains a sangfroid composure from start to finish, fully deserving of his standing ovation from the room as he closes.
There is a lot of divisiveness, and in some quarters even vitriol, in politics today and Forde manages to play the role of the ‘Speaker’ in the room superbly, only showing rare glimpses of where his own political allegiances may lie. In fact, the only time he states his own opinion categorically is with his brief foray into our own Scottish Referendum, showing off his Union Jack cufflinks.