There are many jokes to be made when it comes to the state of American politics at the moment, and this is exactly what Connor Malbeuf sets out to do with his show Sorry. Balancing humour and political commentary, this show is a comedic dig at America as a whole, coming from Malbeuf, a Canadian immigrant currently residing there.
The show opened with a pre-recorded documentary-style interview which was lightly humorous, but seemed to pale in comparison to Malbeuf’s live, in-person comedy. Its undeniable that Malbeuf was engaging and entertaining to watch, and he clearly knows what he is doing when it comes to comedy, so it was somewhat of a shame that the show got off to a bit of a slow start comedy-wise due to the opening video.
As soon as Malbeuf arrives on stage in the flesh, he begins by drawing parallels between the tensions between Canadians and Americans, and the Scottish and the English in an attempt to situate what could have otherwise been a very North-American centred show in Great Britain. While this was successful, this section of the show may have been more comedic if there were more willing volunteers for audience participation. Unfortunately, the lack of volunteers left the atmosphere feeling painfully awkward, and while Malbeuf handled it well, it did leave the show feeling somewhat stilted and unnatural.
As can be expected from a stand-up comedy show, the political points made were in no way revolutionary, but they blended well with the comedy. Malbeuf maintained a good rhythm as he switched between moments of laughter and moments of more serious thought, and the show as a whole was polished and well-delivered.
Malbeuf switched between crowd work, theatrical moments, and even the use of props to keep the show from feeling flat and repetitive in its delivery. However, while the delivery may have been fresh and varied, the nature of the jokes themselves began to get repetitive. He certainly drew a fair few laughs from the audience, but most jokes earned only chuckles.
While this show may have not been side-splittingly funny, it was enjoyable to watch, and may have done better on an evening with more willing audience volunteers.
Sorry: A Canadian’s Apology for America is running until 24 August at the Drawing Room at Assembly Rooms.
Buy tickets here.
Image courtesy of Elizabeth Viggiano, provided to The Student as press material