Mr. Swallow @ Tramway, Glasgow
Mr. Swallow, the squeaky-voiced alter ego of Ted Lasso’s Nick Mohammed, brings high octane energy to what is revealed to be a rather gentle hour of comedy-magic and trickery
Careening onto the stage with skates strapped to his feet, here comes Mr. Swallow – Nick Mohammed’s charming Northern magician – for his fifth live show, The Very Best & Worst of Mr. Swallow. It’s set up to be an energetic hour which swerves the hallmarks of Mischief Theatre (The Play That Goes Wrong etc) for something which takes itself (a little) more seriously.
The show is a game of two halves, each with its own impressive stunt and tried and tested sections slotted here and there. It suffers from feeling quite disconnected as a result: from tricks to jokes to fully untethered segments about Les Mis and orchestras.
Mohammed’s extended Jurassic Park libretto (which you might have seen on Cats does Countdown) is easily the hour’s comedic highlight, and his mention of John Williams scores could be a fascinating show in itself. He’s also armed with some brilliant throwaway gags, but lets his act coast on these laughs and the affability the Mr. Swallow character affords. The show’s not dense with punchlines, so each one is highly appreciated when it comes, quickly injecting some energy before another swathe of perfectly nice, but far from hilarious, lecture-like material which really stalls the momentum.
And whilst the gag-rate is slim, the trick-rate is slimmer. Mohammed’s clearly a skilled mentalist and is particularly engaging when letting us take a peek behind the curtain, but there’s an awful lot of work-up for only two real feats across the hour. The tricks are slow to reveal themselves, without much in the way of anticipation, and although the audience is keenly invited to get involved, their participation actively hampers his illusions (and not in an ‘act of misdirection’ way).
It’s an uneven hour which ultimately leaves you underwhelmed. The Very Best & Worst... is simultaneously not as tightly written as it needs to be to leave your sides sore, nor is it ‘wow’ enough to leave your jaw on the floor. It certainly makes for pleasant company, but isn’t a show which lingers long afterwards.
Reviewed on 2 April at Tramway, Glasgow as part of Glasgow International Comedy Festival
The Very Best and Worst of Mr. Swallow, touring the UK until 21 May
Follow Nick Mohammed on Twitter at @nickmohammed and on Instagram @nickmohammedy