Stephen K Amos - More of Me

With effortless charm Amos weaves together personal stories with political asides, cultural references and audience participation in a neatly constructed hour.

Article by Emma Ainley-Walker | 08 Sep 2007

The real goal is television, purrs Stephen K Amos to his packed audience, "this is a bit shit." But Amos' More of Me performance is as professional and slick as anything broadcast by the Beeb and by the looks of the sparkle in his eyes, Amos is clearly enjoying himself. He first struts on stage as a self aggrandising preacher, Jesse Alowishus Jones, with shiny James Brown locks on his head he picks on audience members to "save their souls." "Where are you from, child?" he asks a 17 year-old English boy in the front row, "Hitchin?" he repeats before responding salaciously, "I was in Hitchin 17 and a half years ago..." Amos skilfully converses with the room making it seem more intimate than the Pleasance's second largest venue and the appreciative audience reacts with big laughs and applause. When Amos drops the faux American accent and returns to the familiar Afro-headed Londoner his set still resembles American style comedy using concise phrasing and strict timing. In last year's performance, All of Me, Amos came out publicly and here he continues to describe his formative years dealing with different kinds of prejudice. With effortless charm Amos weaves together personal stories with political asides, cultural references and audience participation in a neatly constructed hour. By the end, there is an impromptu dance-along on stage which even has Amos taken aback, but it is a fitting conclusion to an expertly show biz performance. [Emma Lennox]

Stephen K Amos-More of Me, Pleasance Courtyard, Until 27 Aug, 21:40, £12.50-£13.50 (£11-£12)