Christopher Hall prances onto stage in this hysterical, high-energy performance, journeying through past experiences to find his three core values. Straight out of the gate the audience is warmed to his charming persona, aided by his phenomenal physical comedy, as he recounts childhood experiences as a queer and overtly camp child. Relatable quips about girls versus boys in the playground, the camp tendencies of a toddler and the early days of MSN help to demonstrate Hall’s first core value: authenticity. Though feeling like an outsider for some of his life, his stories ring all too true for his audiences, producing an empathetic, comfortable atmosphere.
Girl For All Seasons relies a little heavily on specific generational experiences occasionally enhances the lack of confidence Hall has with his audience, and anecdotes that are more intricate and intelligent are slightly over-explained. These moments could be taken a step further to give him an edge over other comedians and remove any generic content delivered in his show. Hall is clearly a clever comedian but needs to understand that his audience is also extremely competent, and therefore more complex jokes will successfully land.
Hall is extremely proficient at crowd work, selecting a few audience members and referencing back to them throughout his set, making the show feel personal and unique, and building a successful relationship with every evening performance, fulfilling his second core value: the ability to form and sustain different relationships.
Unfortunately, the audience is ripped out of the well-constructed narrative upon Hall commenting which parts of his own set he wishes to cut, which is perhaps the core letdown of this show as his performance is otherwise captivating and immersive.
Nonetheless Hall teems with confidence and charm and appears to genuinely be having fun performing, fulfilling his final core value: joy, something he is not short of. The show draws to a close leaving the audience gagging for more. This one is truly for the girls, and they are live, laugh loving Christopher Hall.
Christopher Hall: Girl For All Seasons is on at Gilded Balloon at the Museum, Auditorium until the 25 August.
Buy tickets here.
Image provided by Gilded Balloon press office.