“Ready For This” is the new show, “So Fu**ing Rock” is the new DVD: Tim Minchin has been like so like busy like. The singer-songwriter recorded his fresh release earlier this year in London, before writing and revealing his latest show “Ready For This” to audiences at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Now Minchin has taken his show to the road and tickets have been selling fast. I went along to check it out, so here is (like) a little recount of my evening.
The night kicked off with the title piece, an introductory epic, “Ready For This”. It certainly got everybody in the mood - something Tim Minchin proved he has a knack for - he was the potter and we…were sold immediately on the groovy piano playing and rather naughty song about people with red hair. I related to it profoundly because I am a ‘ginger’. I was also acutely aware at the time that “Prejudice” was only a warm up for what was to follow. So I braced my diplomatic self as we were invited to sing along to a little ditty called “I Love Jesus”. The song was very funny and took me back to Minchin’s own words earlier in the evening about how he is compelled to make silliness out of big issues. This trait of Tim Minchin appeared in many of the night’s songs, like “Bears Don’t Dig On Dancing” and the utterly offensive “Phil Doust Song”. But I and it seemed the rest of the audience delighted in being so appalled.
However we spent most of the evening being charmed and mesmerised by Minchin’s great songs, quick wit and beautiful piano playing. Many of the songs, like “Canvas Bags”, are so anthem-ish I could see myself dancing around the house singing them in my towel.
The hip-hop masterpiece “If I Didn’t Have You” was evidently another favourite with everybody. It’s clever lyric, cool harmonies and, er, choreography sure got the ladies going.
As the evening unfolded I couldn’t help but notice something more underlying and general about Tim Minchin: He seems to have a special grace with his audience when it comes to potentially offensive material and language. At the same time he uses ‘bad’ language purposefully, to great effect and the subtext to his humour in my opinion are true statements about our world and our selves. So as charming and mesmerising as Minchin is, on his own with the virtuosic piano playing, rock star hair and all, its this element of his material that plays a massive part in why I liked it so much.
Anyway “Ready For This” is more of a music concert than a comedy show, although Minchin is hilarious. It is a brilliant night out, pure fun for (almost) the whole family - I actually met a number of people that night who were there with their families, a lot of people in their late teens who had brought their parent/s along or vice versa – but anyway my advice is DO go see Tim Minchin, whoever you take. Just byo company and all the rest (good food for thought and some of the best entertainment I’ve ever seen) is provided. “Ready For This” is saucy, scandalous and absolutely sensational.
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Tim Minchin LIVE - "READY FOR THIS"
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