Howard Read: Man (Work in Progress)

Awkward and bumbling but entirely capable, Howard Read is a man doing his best in a world that doesn’t make it easy. He is a work in progress, as is his show.

Read admits at the start that it could do with some polishing, but there is nonetheless a good deal of his charm is in his unfinished approach. He stutters at the ruder words that he himself has chosen to say and, elsewhere, apologetically explains the punchline to weaker jokes that don’t quite land. It is quirky and appealing. His honesty is refreshing and, though his style varies from the quietly calm to loud screams, it is always genuine.

The show is loaded with jokes, good and bad. He drip feeds them slowly but surely. There is never too long to wait for a laugh, and some of his one liners are fantastic. There is a brief but entertaining song that should feel completely out of place in a standard stand up show, but Read again makes it all feel like just another day at the office.

Read handles being heckled like a seasoned champion. Elegantly, he draws the heckler into the show then discards them when he is done, leaving no ill feelings or resentment – just a gentle lesson in manners. In this work in progress, it is undoubtedly his crowd work which, while unusual, is the most solid of his skills.