An avid Lee Evans fan since his MouseHunt days many moons ago, I jumped out of my seat when I heard he was bringing his Work In Progress show to Cambridge Corn Exchange: the chance to see brand-new material from an international comedian as popular as Lee Evans doesn’t pop up every day.
You’d think nothing could top the success of his record-breaking Roadrunner tour, but this fresh batch of slapstick, silly and of course dig-your-neighbour-in-the-ribs naughty jokes has been six months in the making, and he’s on top form as always.
Only Lee Evans could be found impersonating a seahorse, or pondering the authenticity of sharks in an aquarium. But, as he refers to his notes, it strikes you just how much prep has gone into this evening, and how lucky the audience is to hear jokes that might not even make the cut for his 2014 tour.
He’s even more endearing and charming in person than I imagined, as he tells the crowd how nervous he’s been to share this material, to sympathetic ‘awws’ from the adoring crowd. He needn’t be: everything he says is lapped up by the audience, who just can’t get enough as he bounces (and moonwalks!) across the stage, silly sound effects aplenty.
Two hours later, my cheeks are killing from laughing and I’ve got mascara everywhere – he’s the master of his game and he masters it well, and the crowd are treated to an insight into the real, honest Lee.
Lee’s Monster tour is on the road now, covering a staggering 65 dates with six nights at London’s O2 Arena. If you’ve got tickets, you’re in for a laugh-a-minute treat from a true gem who just keeps on getting better.
