PART of The Stand's appeal for Daniel Kitson is that even when his …ahem…"big, award-swinging d*ck" comes to town, the club won't cancel their scheduled open spot night. This ensures that his show, approaching two hours long, doesn't start
until the wearying time of 10:45pm.
As its title suggests, Kitson's latest comedic romp is based on his feelings of guilt at the privileged life he leads, which manifest themselves in bouts of debilitating annoyance and moments of paralysing horror. And, of course, there's plenty of material about the sort of commonplace social confrontations that render this sensitive, articulate commentator apoplectic with rage.
Since previewing the show at The Stand in Glasgow last year, Kitson has tightened it up immeasurably, yet it still lacks a structural coherence beyond his ability to make every routine funny. Even so, and in spite of his seeming reluctance to edit anything out, his argument for compassion and empathy in the face of failure still comes across loud and clear.
Capable of displaying self-righteous pomposity and gracious humility in a single expression, Kitson remains a thrill to the ear, and his capacity to express society's manifold fears – of teenagers on public transport, for example – is akin to watching countless nails being hammered precisely on the head, even if the overall edifice seems slightly overbuilt.
The full article contains 234 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
