Ricky Gervais' Latest Show: Pithy, Pacey and Performed with Casual Aplomb
Key Highlights :
Ricky Gervais' latest show, Armageddon, is a gleeful exploration of familiar taboos. From the nature of offence and religion to the holocaust and paedophilia, Gervais manages to have it both ways, making pertinent points through puerile jokes. The show has been a huge success, setting a record for a single stand-up performance at the Hollywood Bowl, grossing over £1.4 million.
Gervais' big bugbear in Armageddon is the way language has evolved. He suggests that we are in danger of losing the power of free speech because of people getting upset by language. He claims mock-grandly that he is now a woke comedian, but this is clearly a Gervaisian take on woke. He still says things that provoke and blatantly enjoys the response.
The show is pithy, pacey and performed with casual aplomb. Gervais' Stewart Lee-ish creation riff, imagining God coming up with the design for male genitals is a delight. His dissection of a famous scene from The Exorcist is headspinningly humorous. The laughs flow thick and fast, and the audience is left both with food for thought and lashings of cheap laughs.
Armageddon is not for everyone, but for the open-minded there is both food for thought and lashings of cheap laughs. Gervais' performance is casual and confident, and he manages to make pertinent points through puerile jokes. It is a show that will stay with you long after you have left the theatre, and is a must-see for any fan of Gervais' work.
