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Gareth Richards: It's Not the End of the World
Published on Friday, 12 August 2011
3

3 stars

Pleasance Courtyard (venue website)
Comedy
3-17, 19-29 Aug, 8:30pm-9:30pm
Reviewed by Hannah Van Den Bergh

 Recommended for age 14+ only.

In It's Not the End of the World, Gareth Richards explores the now-familiar concept that the end of the world will arrive in 2012. After some date mix-up in May (when the Rapture didn't happen), Richards wants to assure us that, despite how tired we are, the end of the world need not be a solution with his own thoroughly likeable take on musical comedy.

In some truly funny moments, Richards befriends the audience with his jovial songs about the people who work in his local Co-operative, and the inevitable sex moment when you’re the last two people on earth – it’s going to happen, regardless of whether you’re mouldy.

Living with (as he portrays it) the aging population in Bournemouth – “like Switzerland, only slower” – Richards has some enjoyable material, but it is exhausted on one level, failing to ever explore beyond the obvious in search of a stronger punchline.  Although nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Awards 'best newcomer' gong in 2010, it is difficult to see what he has done to build on the accolade with this show.

He is undoubtedly a storyteller, taking glee from his own personal anecdotes; and it is truly a joy to watch him on the omni-chord, even when he stumbles and trips over words. But this show definitely lacks both material and direction. Only twenty minutes after leaving the show I had forgotten what the whole plot was about – staying safe in his work meant Richards evoked the inevitable consequence that he left no lasting effect, resulting in a relatively vanilla performance. Still, It's Not the End of the World.

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