Reviewer: Christine Stanton
“Hilariously Organised Chaos“
4 / 5
Spencer Jones is well-known for his trademark mad-cap comedy that makes you feel like you’re in the middle of a fever dream. His current show – Making Friends is at Soho Theatre and is as ridiculous, and as funny as you’d expect, with a surprisingly heartwarming, relatable story about his life woven through.
This one-hour stand-up show mainly centres on Spencer making the move from Plumstead to Devon during lockdown, but there are still a few wonderfully unrelated additions sprinkled in, such as the sketch that focuses on tasting imaginary soup from audience members that has everyone in stitches. It took a lot for Spencer to pack up his life in London, but with everything moving online and there being less opportunities of work while everyone was sat at home baking banana bread, it was the perfect time to give his children a taste of the countryside he grew up in. But the move isn’t without issues – his neighbours are pretty unfriendly, the chickens he bought to rear have turned on him, and he’s struggling to find like-minded souls to be mates with. Was making the move the right decision or should he just pack up and go back to London now that lockdown is finally over?
Jones begins his set faux-flustered, rushing on to the stage in his dressing gown pretending to fix a wire issue that turns into a brilliantly bizarre, looped song that kicks off his show. It’s this brand of hilariously organised chaos that solidifies his entertainment factor – while everything may appear bonkers and disordered, Jones is always completely in control, pacing his set perfectly and reacting to the audience well. His strange collection of props are scattered across the stage like a bric-a-brac joke shop that he calls on randomly and abruptly mid-set, to show off an odd puppet he made in his garage, or quickly performing a song about the surplus of eggs that his chickens have left him with. He’s like a big kid – the fun whimsical, wackiness is so inherently enjoyable – even though some of his stories about loneliness and ambition are actually quite touching at the heart of them. While it’s doubtful he’ll become the next Bond as part of his dreams to be a ‘serious actor’ his success within TV roles and writing speak for themselves, and his infectious attitude and expressive performing style will surely keep him high on the pecking order for a long time to come.
He mentions he’s an acquired taste that not everyone will get behind, but whether his weirdly wonderful comedy is your normal style or not, he’s so fantastically likeable and upbeat that it would be hard not to break into a smile at any point during this show.
Runs Until 20 April 2024
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