Wednesday 2 November 2011

Odd thoughts.

On an impulse B and I went to see Stephen Fry and Alan Davies in QI Live at the QPAC in Brisbane last night.
Cost $200 each but they were box seats (last left) and quite close to the stage.
It was very good, but I have some odd thoughts about the experience.
The performance was in two parts 1) Stephen Fry giving a personal talk followed by 2) an episode of QI with some Australian and Kiwi comedians.
It was a very, very enjoyable experience which I will remember for a long time.
I really liked the first part as I got a chance to see Stephen Fry up close and see him talking in the flesh.

The second part was where my odd thoughts came to the fore.

First of all where the guests.
They were all Aussie/Kiwi comedians.
Nothing wrong with that per se and it was a lot of fun.
But it lacked something that is present in the BBC show.
I would propose that there are very few eccentric Aussie/Kiwis comedians while the UK seems to be awash with them.
The BBC show often has (in)famous politicians, scientists etc such as Mark Steel, Sean Lock,  John Sessions, Andy Hamilton, Gyles Brandreth and so on.
They seem to blend comedic incisiveness with genuine eccentricity.
I'm not sure we down under do that very well.
Maybe it's difference in population or just our accent?
So it kinda came across as not so much Quite Interesting but Quite Funny.

Next was the sheer fact that it was an episode of QI but on stage.
The physicality of it made it very memorable but there was nothing in it that was different in any way from watching it on TV.
Albeit that the TV was 60 foot wide and had real people on it.
However, I tend to think that if I was going to enjoy an episode of QI, I would prefer to be cuddled up on the sofa in my fluffies drinking bourbon and soda.
Which makes me think that with the increase in TV sizes and HD/3D and whatever comes next, the scope for this type of performance may be decreasing.
But then, I haven't been to a play for years.
So maybe I'm just old and going to turn into a shut-in.

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