Luke Toulson: Too Many Last Cigarettes

Towards the climax of Too Many Last Cigarettes, a set based on an occasion in which the comic's irresponsible behaviour caused him to arrive late for his son's nativity play, Luke Toulson muses that he is not a bad father, but rather a good child. Judging by the content of his latest show, he has spent a great deal of time considering his proficiency in these fields, though perhaps neglected to assess his competence as a comedian.

Toulson's performance is an astonishing exercise in eradicating whatever goodwill an audience may initially show towards him. In a set littered with obvious observations, lazy animal whimsy and embarrassing Marlon Brando impersonations, our hero is happy to hold audiences culpable whenever his jokes prove unsuccessful, chastising them for being "weird" or suggesting that his words have left them offended rather than simply unamused. At one point he insists that they talk amongst themselves while he gulps down a bottle of water and eats a banana. This isn't daring anti-comedy, but the action of a cowardly and arrogant obligation-dodger, content for paying customers to sit in silence, vainly awaiting some form of entertainment.

Later, when attempting to banter with the crowd, he proves unable to find humour in their responses, their exchanges playing out wearily, like awkward conversations with tenuous acquaintances. Though the self-confessedly “ego-driven” comic's material is often met with laughter, Toulson proves unable to mine beyond the initial polite mirth a single subject may receive, lacking the capacity for interesting turns of phrase that would best convey his few original ideas.