James Acaster: Hecklers Welcome (2024)
November 24, 2024 5:05 PM - Subscribe
James Acaster explores his comedy journey through audience interaction, blending wit and personal stories. He analyzes his material on stage, reflecting on childhood inspirations and his comedic growth during a Northampton show.
Streaming on Max.
I managed to see the show in Northampton the week before the recording (he came back for it), and I was quite strongly inclined to see if I could get tickets for it on leaving. I honestly think James Acaster is my current favourite working comedian, and I completely agree with that description of comedy with a bit of sadness.
This show felt very earnest in a good way, and I enjoy how incredibly smart he is about his comedy. We had a few heckles at our show, ranging from the inane to the deranged (and one heckle he genuinely found pretty funny), and his ability to work each of them in was truly terrific. There was a very funny digression in the second half where he messed up a punchline and explained to us that it wasn't our fault we didn't laugh, he just did it in the wrong order.
Sadly this is on the wrong streaming service for me to watch in the UK, but I can't wait until I can see it again!
posted by Cannon Fodder at 2:52 AM on November 25 [1 favorite]
This show felt very earnest in a good way, and I enjoy how incredibly smart he is about his comedy. We had a few heckles at our show, ranging from the inane to the deranged (and one heckle he genuinely found pretty funny), and his ability to work each of them in was truly terrific. There was a very funny digression in the second half where he messed up a punchline and explained to us that it wasn't our fault we didn't laugh, he just did it in the wrong order.
Sadly this is on the wrong streaming service for me to watch in the UK, but I can't wait until I can see it again!
posted by Cannon Fodder at 2:52 AM on November 25 [1 favorite]
The sadness part was a little more apparent in this show than in other specials, but I agree it's always in there. This was an excellent show; his persona is so quick and bizarre in a Sean Lock kind of way, but different.
posted by transient at 5:39 AM on November 25
posted by transient at 5:39 AM on November 25
I was surprised at how much I didn't quite like most of this, but I thought the last 20(?) minutes or so were totally great.
A few thoughts:
1. I think I just personally have trouble dealing with his default phony bravado demeanor, even if it's eventually being implicitly extra-ironized here. Toward the end, that demeanor drops completely, and suddenly I'm enjoying everything a whole lot more.
2. It's a risky move, cutting between jokes with those little out-of-context drumming/mascot snippets covering the jumps. Not because it's jarring (though it is, a bit), but because it foregrounds every single choice to keep certain bits in. When something doesn't quite land, you have to think: they could have so easily removed it!
2a.) It also meant that I'm not sure we ever got to see how he transitioned from any of the heckle/responses back to his planned material, and that felt like a big loss. (I guess those transitions weren't quick enough or smooth enough to keep in?)
3. The biggest disappointment for me, I think, was that there were so few heckles! Maybe five, throughout the whole 75 minutes, with three of them bunched up together in a row toward the end? (I'd thought I'd caught wind -- maybe when this special was announced -- that there was going to be bonus material with just a whole lot of audience interruptions and Acaster responses one after another, but I haven't been able to find that anywhere.)
posted by nobody at 9:59 AM on November 25
A few thoughts:
1. I think I just personally have trouble dealing with his default phony bravado demeanor, even if it's eventually being implicitly extra-ironized here. Toward the end, that demeanor drops completely, and suddenly I'm enjoying everything a whole lot more.
2. It's a risky move, cutting between jokes with those little out-of-context drumming/mascot snippets covering the jumps. Not because it's jarring (though it is, a bit), but because it foregrounds every single choice to keep certain bits in. When something doesn't quite land, you have to think: they could have so easily removed it!
2a.) It also meant that I'm not sure we ever got to see how he transitioned from any of the heckle/responses back to his planned material, and that felt like a big loss. (I guess those transitions weren't quick enough or smooth enough to keep in?)
3. The biggest disappointment for me, I think, was that there were so few heckles! Maybe five, throughout the whole 75 minutes, with three of them bunched up together in a row toward the end? (I'd thought I'd caught wind -- maybe when this special was announced -- that there was going to be bonus material with just a whole lot of audience interruptions and Acaster responses one after another, but I haven't been able to find that anywhere.)
posted by nobody at 9:59 AM on November 25
There is an album version that was recorded in Kettering that reportedly was pretty chaotic. I assume that will be on Spotify/etc. once it's released but I have no idea.
I do think a lot his work is about the slow build and that's why I like it. To each their own, though.
I do agree the cuts feel weird and I would've preferred to just see the entire show play out but I felt OK with it.
I found the lack of heckles to be OK because like he said, people were just going to behave the way they already were. It was less about the hecklers and more about how he reacted to them.
I took a friend to my NYC show who is a big standup fan (major Suzy Eddie Izzard fan) and I've also said Acaster has found the good middle ground between the traditional punchline-based standup and the more modern storytelling standup. His shows are so satisfying. (I don't love his Netflix specials but they're fine.)
posted by edencosmic at 5:15 PM on November 25 [1 favorite]
I do think a lot his work is about the slow build and that's why I like it. To each their own, though.
I do agree the cuts feel weird and I would've preferred to just see the entire show play out but I felt OK with it.
I found the lack of heckles to be OK because like he said, people were just going to behave the way they already were. It was less about the hecklers and more about how he reacted to them.
I took a friend to my NYC show who is a big standup fan (major Suzy Eddie Izzard fan) and I've also said Acaster has found the good middle ground between the traditional punchline-based standup and the more modern storytelling standup. His shows are so satisfying. (I don't love his Netflix specials but they're fine.)
posted by edencosmic at 5:15 PM on November 25 [1 favorite]
You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments
Every night was a bit different by design and while I don't remember fully what this special didn't include, it at least hits the main points of this show. I've already watched it twice.
I don't know if it quite captures the experience of seeing the show in person but that's going to be impossible.
My friend who introduced me to Acaster said that so much of comedy has a bit of sadness underneath. I think that's something a lot of people agree with. But I would say this show is definitely "I laughed until I cried and then I realized I was just crying."
Cold Lasagne Hate Myself 1999 is one of my comfort watches and I think that's overall a stronger show. However, I think I love Hecklers Welcome more because it's just so vulnerable and emotionally honest. Also hilarious. I've already watched it twice.
posted by edencosmic at 5:11 PM on November 24 [2 favorites]