Review by Jane Leigh

CRAZY Bird Comedy Club, Lansdown Hall, Stroud, Mark Felgate and support.

VARIETY is the spice of life, they say, and Saturday’s comedy extravaganza provided four very different acts, each showcasing their own unique approach.

MC Geoff Whiting did his usual excellent job of getting everyone in the mood for laughter, before Paul F Taylor kicked off the show.

Fans of the Minchinhampton Comedy Night will have seen Paul in action there, and it was intriguing to see how his act has developed in just a few weeks, with his mime sequence proving a particular hit.

Next up was Mark Dennett, from Cornwall by way of London. His delivery was spot on, with deliberations about smoking breaks the highlight of the set.

A weak ending rather let down the act, but it led into a set from Romanian comic Radu Isac who turned out to be the surprise star of the evening.

Radu’s humour was well-observed and beautifully delivered, using his experiences since moving to the UK two years ago for much of the comedy. With great deadpan style he went down a storm with the capacity audience.

And finally the talented Mark Felgate rounded off the evening, showcasing his talents as a ventriloquist, singer, guitarist and comic.

There were some excellent moments – the helium tablets were a stand-out, getting a great audience reaction – although I think I wasn’t alone in feeling some of the material went a little too far.

Mark’s set went down well with the younger demographic, but not quite so happily for more mature types, myself included, who ended up admiring the comic’s considerable talents as a musician and ventriloquist whilst not being quite so amused.

Overall, however, the evening of variety produced some great moments, particularly from Radu Ilic - watch out for that name.

Crazy Bird Comedy Club’s next event is on June 25 at Stroud Brewery, when another three acts promise more laughter for Stroud’s regular fans of quality comedy.

Well worth a visit.