Is this a thing now? Comedians doing their old shows, getting the gang (or, in this case, gags) back together for one last hurrah? Doctor Brown did his three Edinburgh shows at Soho Theatre in January; Richard Herring resurrected Talking Cock a few years ago and is bringing a Best Of to Udderbelly in the summer. We suppose it makes sense: comedians go to all that effort putting together an hour of laughs, only to shelve it after 12-15 months. You wouldn't go see a band and only expect to hear songs from the latest album. So yes, this appears to be a thing.
And a good thing, too, when it involves Adam Riches. He'd slipped past many people's radars until winning in Edinburgh for his terrifyingly funny — and we mean painful cheeks and sides from laughing so hard — show Bring Me The Head of Adam Riches. The perfect refinement of Riches's schtick, characters that take the fourth wall and piss all over it when it comes to audience participation, we saw Bring Me The Head... several times and are so happy to have the chance to re-live its dangerous mirth. But you can also see the two previous shows, Rogue Males and Adam Riches Rides, complete with Pierce Brosnan-as-centaur and tons of Yakult, and the most recent show, Adam of the Riches.
Obviously, if we're only recommending one, it's got to be Bring Me The Head..., if only so we can say "like starlings do" in pubs and have more people understand what we mean. But if you like rambunctious comedy we think you'll like whatever you dip into — or if you're feeling brave, go see them all.
Adam Riches x 4 is at Kings Place, King's Cross, on 8, 15, 23 and 30 April. Tickets £12.50/£9.50 per show.
