Marc Jennings @ Monkey Barrel Comedy
If & When is a tightly-paced hour of amusing insights, astute observations, and personal anecdotes by Marc Jennings
It’s clear from the very start of If & When that Marc Jennings is one to watch. This new hour is incredibly well-paced, carried by the buoyancy of Jennings’ amiable presence and incisive sense of humour. It’s also well-grounded in his lived experience, featuring plentiful anecdotes from his own life from dieting to dating. These themes are well-trodden ground for comedians, but it works for Jennings – besides, there’s nothing wrong with doing what we know works.
These personal anecdotes are skilfully interwoven with Jennings’ observations about the state of the world. In a moment which is deeply affirming for those of us crippled with anxiety by the news, he bemoans how the news cycle has become so fast-paced that the shock of any scandal seems to pass within days, replaced by some new issue deserving of our outrage. He spends a good portion of the set discussing the recent embezzlement scandal involving Peter Murrell, the disgraced former CEO of the SNP and ex-husband of former party leader, Nicola Sturgeon. Affirming Jennings’ previous point, it was a scandal many of us have probably forgotten about. To hear Jennings then go through the (utterly ridiculous) list of things purchased with the embezzled money – including £19,000 spent on luxury gold-nibbed pens! – is hilarious, though it’s hard not to marvel at the absurdity of contemporary politics.
Jennings’ political commentary is astute and well-considered, as well as funny; it’s a show of his talent that he’s able to keep things from ever feeling preachy. The very idea of political commentary in comedy is enough to get a lot of people’s hackles up these days, but Jennings’ is always well-handled. On top of that, you can sense that the crowd is comfortable in the show’s atmosphere, which is a real feat in itself.
Marc Jennings is clearly a consumate professional, and it wouldn't be a surprise if he begins appearing on our television screens more often; there’s a chair waiting over on Mock the Week with his name on it.
Marc Jennings: If & When, Monkey Barrel Comedy (MB1), until 30 Aug, 7.35pm, £11.50-£16.50