Reginald D. Hunter: Trophy Nigga (13/06/10, Grand Opera House, York)

On Sunday night we made a second trip to the Grand Opera House in York that weekend, this time to see Reginald D. Hunter's stand up show. The name of the show, Trophy Nigga, was not on the advertising, and Hunter told the audience this was because the venue was unsure about the phrase. This tells you a lot about the tone of the show! 

But first... before Hunter came on stage, a misanthropic Australian comedian called Steve Hughes regaled us for an hour with his take on how the world is going to hell. I didn't expect anyone but Hunter to be on, so I was even more surprised that this 'warm up' act was on for a full hour. He was very funny though, so it was ok! There was a lot of uncomfortable laughter though, and I think an hour of his particular comedy stylings was perhaps a bit too much. 

After a break, Hunter eventually came on at 9.30, which annoyingly meant that he was still on by 10.50, when our last train home was at 11.12, necessitating us leaving before he'd finished in order to beat the crowds out and get to the station. Other than this annoyance, I had an enjoyable evening. Hunter's comedy came from his African-American roots, and involved his bemusement with white British folks, and their (our) supposed reluctance to cause any offence. Hunter's comments on race and his strong language may not be for most tastes, but I believe that anything is ripe for comedy. 

After seeing Andy Hamilton and Arthur Smith this year, Hughes and Hunter presented a more adult, less 'Radio 4' stand up prospect, which didn't make them better or worse than the others, just different. What all four had in common was that their comedy comes from an appreciation of intelligence, and is informed by this. Hopefully if I get to see Hunter again, and I would want to, he'll start a bit earlier and I'll get to see his full set!