Empire Theatre, Eden Court Theatre, Inverness, 6 November 2007

LENNY HENRY is one of the stately homes of British comedy, a big man with an even bigger personality; you can imagine him being open to the public on bank holiday weekends, visited by bus loads of grannies from Bolton, such is the size of his physical and theatrical presence.

His confidence and professionalism were much in evidence as he took possession of the Eden Court stage. He was immediately at ease with the audience being the first comedian to be allowed to play with a theatre so fresh from its refurbishment that large parts of it have still to be unwrapped from the tissue paper.

Henry was catapulted to national prominence in the mid seventies after being a finalist in the New Faces TV show, a less brutal but more influential version of today’s X Factor. Originally an impressionist, his comedy talents were then given full reign on the anarchic children’s show TISWAS where he was able to develop new characters and to lampoon such TV worthies as David Bellamy and Trevor MacDonald.

Perhaps Henry’s most notable achievement was becoming the first and, for some time the only, Black British entertainer to gain public acceptance at a time when racial stereotypes flourished in the media. In doing so he broke new ground and opened up the way for more tolerant times.

Despite his importance in breaking down racial barriers his political naivety allowed him to appear in the immensely popular Black and White Minstrel show, a series of engagements that have caused him some embarrassment ever since.

Henry’s love of character comedy was much in evidence during his show on Tuesday night with a number of cameo performances of well drawn characters ranging from a shopkeeper to a trendy minister trying desperately to ingratiate himself with young people in his flock by including rap music and mixing desks in his services. His portrayal of an aging womaniser, coping with the frustrations of life in an old folk’s home was as memorable as it was hilarious.

The Eden Court crowd was very mixed, ranging from teenagers to pensioners, but all seemed to warm to Henry’s personality and exuberance as he even coaxed them in to song from time to time during the show.

Henry has never strayed far from his roots in the working men’s clubs of northern England. His comedy is mainstream, safe and, at times, predictable, with his only foray into political comedy coming with a very fine portrayal of a British soldier in Iraq.

Henry’s comedy is traditional, perhaps even dated, by the standards of modern Stand Up, but the audience seemed comfortable with him and his humour and they had a relaxing evening without the challenging edge of Alternative comedy.

Some of Henry’s material was so old it could have been borrowed from the Humour section of the British Museum – you could actually see him blowing the dust off some gags. Even his impersonations were of figures long gone from the public gaze.

He gave a very fine impersonation of comic genius Tommy Cooper, even displaying Cooper’s impeccable comic timing. Whilst older members of the audience enjoyed this considerably, it is twenty three years since Cooper last stumbled through a magic trick and many of the audience must have only a dim awareness of who this fez wearing master of droll humour was.

Henry even gave an excellent impersonation of Jimmy Tarbuck which must have left everyone under thirty five in the audience wondering, “Jimmy who?”

Despite the fact that Henry’s style of stand up was evolved some years ago one should not overlook his achievements and his immense contribution to Charities such as Comic Relief . He also found a return to critical favour with his role, in 1993, in the sitcom Chef!, a role that came from one of Henry’s ideas.

There can be no doubt that Henry delivered on Tuesday night. He was funny and entertaining, performing half a dozen roles, leading singing and telling gags that left the Eden Court audience cheering and giving him a standing ovation at the end of his performance.

Henry is a comedic institution in the UK, a man of enormous talent, who still possess the energy and wit to put together a thoroughly entertaining and memorable performance as he proved once more on the stage of Eden Court.

© John Burns, 2007

Related Links

• Eden Court Theatre