Anna Burnside reviews a stand-up set 'with big ideas' that are underdeveloped.
Given events of recent weeks, Aidan Sadler is not your typical product of Gravesend. The permed mullet is an early indicator, as is the teal blue ensemble with fluttering frills and a half cape.
Maybe the exuberant sleeves hid a large bulldog tattoo, but I suspect not.
Memory is a mix of gay rock ballads, audience chat and stand-up. There’s a vague end of the world theme running throughout, although when the house includes four messy drunk maws on a big night out, this is easily derailed.
When they ask for suggestions as to how the world might end, their contribution is “farting”.
Sadler’s comic songs (performed to a backing tape, this is a low budget production) are smart and anthemic, knowing and well observed. Their chat is peppered with big ideas, but they are never developed.
At one point they speculate on what a gay war would look like. That’s a great subject which could be the basis for a whole show. Yet they let it fizzle into the farting chat.
Sadler is also hosting a late night weekend party show, which they admit is selling much better than Memory. That makes perfect sense. In a quarter-full room on a Tuesday night, their weaknesses were exposed.
Aidan Sadler: Memory performs at Voodoo Rooms until August 25, 2024 (no performance on the 19th) from 1950-2050.
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