Mark Watson

His stand-up is so energetic and exhilarating that, having spent an hour doubled over in laughter, it is an exhausting experience

★★★★★
archive review (edinburgh) | Read in About 2 minutes
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Published 05 Aug 2007
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There are so few moments in Mark Watson's set that fall short of perfection that my only clear memory of his show is one of unbridled happiness. In fact, anyone that leaves Can I Briefly Talk to You About The Point of Life? without being thoroughly drunk on an overdose of endorphins must be completely incapable of joy.

From the minute Watson appears, not on stage but from the middle row in the audience, every joke, every observation and every quip hits the spot. His material is characterised by a frankly brilliant ability to follow even the most mundane of imaginative sidetrackings to bizarre and hilarious conclusions. Indeed, such is his Billy Connelly-esque ability to explore wonderfully diverse trains of thought, that his main narrative, the spectacularly ambitious quest for the meaning of life, lasts no longer than five or ten minutes.

Watson is a master performer. He sweats charm and charisma. His stand-up is so energetic and exhilarating that, having spent an hour doubled over in laughter, it is an exhausting experience.

In many ways Mark Watson is a critic's nightmare to write about: there is nothing to criticise. Can I Briefly Talk To You About The Point Of Life? is flawless, excellent, brilliant, basically any superlative guaranteed to bring a PR to instant orgasm. He is not merely recommended viewing. He is essential.