Review – Ben Elton, Authentic Stupidity Tour, Royal and Derngate, Northampton, 6th November 2024 - The Real Chrisparkle (original) (raw)

The day after the United States voted convicted felon Donald Trump back in for a second term of office, the inventor of political correctness, Ben Elton, brought his Authentic Stupidity show to the Royal and Derngate, Northampton. What a time to be alive! The whole premise of this new show is that, whilst we’re all concerned about the rise of Artificial Intelligence, the damages caused by Authentic Stupidity far outweigh a clever computer; and given recent events, it’s hard to argue against it.

The last time I saw Ben Elton he was hovering around the foyer of the Queen Elizabeth Hall in 1983 at a star-studded evening of music and comedy in aid of the El Salvador Solidarity Campaign. Ah, the happy days of political optimism – boy, we stuck it to the fascists that night. Decades later, the fight goes on, and Mr Elton is still full of fire and fury at the age of 65, although he’s moved on from Mrs Thatch (I think we all have) and has entered that period of bewilderment at the world, that we can all appreciate.

On stage for the best part of two and a half hours, his energy, sincerity and commitment to the show are palpable. He rips through his material at a cracking pace – so much so that occasionally you start to tune out because he just has so much to say. He doesn’t want to turn into a grumpy old man, but he is proof that, with the best will in the world, it’s impossible not to. What’s different about his material from other comics of a similar age, facing similar bewilderment at progress and, dare I say it, woke, is that despite his confusion, he accepts it, admires it, and wants to run with it; he just doesn’t know how.

When, for example, did a meal at a restaurant stop being about the food and service, and start being about vibe? And whilst he is of course happy for the ever-burgeoning letters tacked on to the rainbow acronym to keep increasing, he wonders if he could add BSC to the end of the list (you’ll have to see his show to discover what that stands for).

One of Ben Elton’s many comedic gifts is his ability to go on at length about very relatable subjects and explore their most ludicrous aspects. It’s true, for example, how proprietorial we become when we’ve put our refuse bins outside the night before collection, peering through the curtains to make sure no one’s nicked them, or – even worse – put extra rubbish in them. It’s also true that, when one’s wife wakes up in the night having heard a sound, it’s always the man that has to go and investigate.

He also has a considerably long sequence of material regarding assisted dying, with specific reference to Dame Esther Rantzen’s campaign; these are things you definitely start to think about when you reach your mid-60s. It’s a difficult subject to be funny about, but Mr E achieves it with consummate ease. And you’ll never guess who his favourite James Bond is!

Now he’s reached official retirement age, Ben Elton shows no signs of slowing down – he’s as fired up and as energetic as ever. To keep up that intensity of comic delivery for two and a half hours is a true test of stamina – he’ll need that for the rest of the tour, which continues until February. Highly recommended!