Sunday we were lucky enough to acquire tickets to see Ricky Gervais new live stand up show Humanity.
We have been big fans of the Comedian since his early days at XFM and the Office up until present and have marvelled at the way in which he manages to reinvent himself time after time.
The comic legend has mastered not only the art of live comedy, but has also successfully written, produced and directed many of his own tv shows and films including Extras, Derek, David Brent: Life On The Road and The Invention Of Lying.
Having watched all of his stand up DVD’s and laughed till blue in the face at his performances at the Golden Globes, we had high expectations and are happy to say that the show exceeded all them!
Men’s Stuff Mag attended Humanity at the Watford Colosseum, an unlikely choice it would seem but Ricky explained that he was returning to stand up comedy after a 7 year break from it and Watford was to be his warm up for Toronto.
Visiting the Colosseum was an extremely pleasant experience. The staff were upbeat and helpful and the venue itself was everything we had expected. The auditorium was comfortable and we were greeted with a cosy ambience and warmth as we entered the soft glowing theatre. As we took our seats, the atmosphere was almost electrical as a buzz grew throughout the crowd like a Mexican wave.
As the lights dipped, our pulses quickened in anticipation and Doc Brown was welcomed to the stage and appeared to the sounds of hysterical joy as the crowd went wild.
Comedian and Rapper Doc Brown known for Equality Street and Life On the Road, opened the show with a brilliantly funny comparison of his former life as a cool up and coming rapper to present – a dad in his 30’s. His hilarious comments on race and culture were unique and fresh, showing Doc to be a ground-breaking comedian that sets the bar high! He was a perfect choice to warm the show up for Mr Gervais and get the crowd buzzing with excitement and hungry for more.
After a brief interlude came the moment we had all been waiting for. The sounds of a beating heart throbbed throughout the speakers in the stadium, each beat increasing in speed until we were on the edges of our seats waiting for the big moment. The stage was aglow with purple and amber lights, soft and dim yet somehow ambient and inviting. We practically held our breathe as we waited, then Ricky Gervais was announced and he entered the stage to be greeted by a cacophony of cheering and applauding fans.
Ricky opened with some light hearted comedy and banter to lull us into a false sense of security, then he began pulling out the big guns! The Office star is known for his controversial comedy and made a theme of this, with hilariously witty anecdotes about Golden Globe stars who had taken offence to his humour, as well a few of his twitter followers, some who seems to be lacking any sense of humour, yet who still choose to follow a controversial comedian. This made for great entertainment and left you baffling at the absurdity of humanity – just as Mr Gervais had clearly intended.
Gervais doesn’t just pull gags out of the bag, he takes you on an intellectual and emotional journey. He lifts you and makes you wail with laughter, until your eyes are moist and you are clutching at your sides as if in the throes of a cardiac! Then he shocks you with a joke that leaves you with your jaw on the floor. This is followed with a lighter tone then when you are least expecting it, he pulls at your heartstrings and forces you to mentally challenge society and everything we have been conditioned to believe…all whilst making you cry with laughter!
Whilst Gervais is an atheist, philanthropy is something that Gervais is religiously passionate about and he did not miss a fantastic opportunity to encourage his fans to support animal welfare. The comic has been accused of racism because of his campaigning to end the torture and consumption of dogs in China. Gervais fought back that torturing a sentient being should never be acceptable and explained how he was stunned that a fan on twitter had been more outraged over his use of explicit language, than the point in question – which was the torture of harmless animals . This point is sadly lost on a few of his more genetically challenged twitter followers it would seem, but philanthropy in the medium of comedy has served him well and the many animals that he has helped save from a life of agony.
As Gervais’ set drew to an end, he regaled a poignant yet hilariously funny anecdote about life and death, to serve as a reminder that our time on Earth is short and we may as well enjoy every single minute and spend it laughing.
When the final curtain dropped the house went down and the auditorium was buzzing to the rafters with laughter, cheers and whistles echoing across the Colosseum. We expected nothing less of this astonishingly talented comic.
Gervais is a man who possesses the gift of comedy and uses it as a vessel to promote good causes. I think we can all take a valuable lesson from that.
Put this comedian on your bucket list and don’t delay. He may just change your perspective on life and if not, he’ll most certainly leave you dying with laughter!
By Kaz B
