Mike Wozniak @ Assembly Hall
Mike Wozniak takes his audience down a rabbit hole of beautifully mundane digressions and smalltown gossip in The Bench
With the debonair demeanour of a suave father in a 1950s sitcom, and the physicality of an uptight, repressed Mr Bean, there’s a languid charm to Mike Wozniak; an attribute that this hour of standup comedy relies heavily on. The Bench is a whodunnit of the most mundane order, as if someone took Agatha Christie or John Le Carré and found a way to make their work incredibly boring. All of this is a positive, as the show is intentionally relishing its dangerous proximity to ennui at any given point.
It only takes a couple of tangents before you realise that every rabbit hole ventured down has been crafted with a gleeful sense of the mundane, exposing the experienced comic’s infatuation with small town minutiae. Comprised of a myriad of the most monotone characters residing within a small village around Exeter, this all culminates in a raucous character comedy full of long-winded escapades; a barrage of miscellaneous digressions and incessant pleas that this next one will take “just a second”.
The character's journey lies entirely in the hands of the audience, as they navigate their way through the labyrinth of hearsay which Wozniak has committed to memory. His potent charisma is unmatched, with only the occasional ‘traditional’ joke slotted in and his gently fanciful turn of phrase anchoring the majority of the show. What’s wonderful about The Bench is how – after the audience accepts their commitment to a night of room temperature gossip – the delight comes from how immaculately nuanced each adventure is. There’s sure to be plenty of avenues that this particular audience didn’t explore, but in this choose-your-own-adventure experience, no detail is left without the signature Wozniak stamp. You’re in for a good time no matter what the outcome.
Despite the show's 'shaggy dog story', its beating heart is his command of regional terminology. It sounds like a rough sales pitch, but an hour of rustic diatribes and an assortment of aloof personalities is all Mike Wozniak needs to command the stage, showcasing his unparalleled penchant for wholesome normality.
Mike Wozniak: The Bench, Assembly Hall (Main Hall), until 16 Aug, 10.40pm, £20.00/£19.00