Review: Dave Gorman’s Powerpoint Presentation, Grand Opera House, York, Thursday (From York Press)

Review: Dave Gorman’s Powerpoint Presentation, Grand Opera House, York, Thursday

10:15am Saturday 12th November 2011 in Comedy

EVERY comedian has a standpoint – a position from which to observe and mock, self-deprecate or rant – whether it’s a world-weary visionary, such as Steven Wright, or the foul-mouthed psychopath that is Jerry Sadowitz. And slap bang in the middle is the ‘everyman’, Dave Gorman.

At least, that is the territory the man from Middle England (well, Stafford) has mischievously claimed for himself. Indeed, it is part of his considerable gift that Dave, an everyman name if ever there was one, can make audiences believe he really is Mr Average. But there is nothing middling or average about this brilliant comedian who was on scintillating form in York.

Gorman has already proved his mastery of one genre: the quest show. The hilarious exasperation of his search for namesakes in Are You Dave Gorman and the edgy, near meltdown of his Googlewhack Adventure are landmarks of the craft.

Contained within those lay the seed for this new triumph: the comedy lecture, or is it a stand-up show with visual aids?

However it is defined, Gorman is wonderful, as he observes, dissects, prods and pokes fun.

Powerpoint demands a tight script; the format could easily sink a lesser comedian in a series of clunky punchlines. But he skitters through it all, deftly surfing the waves of laughter with elegance, wit and an easy style that made it appear off the cuff.

A high tempo was set early with a skein of wince-inducingly funny material about being mistaken as Jewish, and the confusion it raises about stereotypes.

His targets are diverse – lookalikes, marketing people, the knee-jerk brigade who comment on internet news stories, even the artwork on Jim Davidson’s novel. But always lurking is the thrilling prospect that Gorman will just take an idea and play it to the limit with disarming intelligence, teasing out comic truths at every twist.

Dave Gorman: everyman, extremist, genius.