There may be stranger venues but none immediately spring to mind. For the next three months comedians, cabaret, variety and circus acts will gather on the South Bank to perform in a giant upturned inflated purple cow. Insert your own joke here about milking the audience for laughs.
The opening night offered the cream of the upcoming crop. Extravagantly quiffed host David Morgan bemoaned the way friends were obsessed with fitness, substituting marathons for having a personality. John Robins offered us his thoughts on hitting his thirties and being horrified by London property prices. “£1.2 million. It didn’t even have a slide.”
Australia’s Bec Hill revealed that one of the best things about moving to London was learning new rude hand gestures. Rude gestures of a more burlesque hue were provided by Lolo Brow, who stripped to her underwear while offering Nigella-style culinary tips with a rich garnish of innuendo.
For circus fans, Circa performed stunning hula hoop twirls and trapeze trickery backed by a Britpop soundtrack and card manipulator Javier Jarquin showered the audience in flying playing cards. Jarquin was great but I would not risk taking him on at poker. Musical comic Rob Deering morphed into a one-man band with the aid of looped samples and the widest grin in showbiz.
You should always expect the unexpected at the Udderbelly, as was underlined by quickfire improvisation ensemble The Noise Next Door. As they concluded their boy band sketch with lyrics based on fan suggestions, an audience member wandered onstage. He was probably drunk — but maybe he was enjoying the show so much he wanted to join in.
Udderbelly runs until July 17 (0844 545 8282)
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