Romesh Ranganathan review: A class act at the top of his game
The Evening Standard's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
With gigs being cancelled all around him, Romesh Ranganathan was quick to thank the sold-out crowd for coming to Hammersmith. After all, as this self-aware stand-up knows, he is so ubiquitous you can probably see him whenever you turn a screen on. It cannot be long before there is a dedicated Romesh Channel.
But it is in the flesh that he comes into his own. There is a sense of purity to his stage style. It is pretty much classic observational-slash-personal schtick with barely a beat missed as he ruminates over parenthood, Twitter, testosterone levels, veganism, the culture of offence and more.
Not even a heckler who chose an inopportune moment to ask what team he supported could knock Ranganathan off his rhythm. One assumes the fan was so used to watching him at home he forgot about the other 3,000-plus people in the room with him.
Despite the show being titled The Cynic’s Mixtape, the hip-hop obsessive actually seems less curmudgeonly than when he first broke through. Happy? That’s going too far, but there are hints of contentment alongside self-deprecating tales of temporarily losing a child on Brighton beach or feeling fleeced after booking a holiday camp break.
The best comedy shows to see in March
A minor caveat is that some of his anecdotes, about tweeting Liam Neeson and responding to racist football chants, for instance, felt familiar. Maybe he has previously told them on television, maybe written about them in his newspaper column. Possibly both.
Despite this quibble the former teacher is a class act at the top of his game and an unalloyed pleasure to watch. You can see him any time by flicking a switch but it is onstage where the magic truly happens.
March 26, 27, April 16-19, 23-26 (0844 844 0444, ticketmaster.co.uk)
