Musical turn to the dark side (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Musical turn to the dark side

8:48am Monday 5th October 2009 in

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Tim Minchin: Ready For This, St George’s Hall

The wild-haired, bare-footed Aussie (pictured) is the funniest ivory-tickler since Les Dawson or Victoria Wood.

But unlike these family-friendly comic heroes, Tim has a dark side; a close-to-the-bone edge so jagged that audience members had to shift in their seats to get comfortable.

That’s not to say his material is in bad taste, just very bold and steeped in irony.

His powerful playful with words is matched by his brilliant musicianship, making his show a concerto of piano and wit.

With songs about the environment (Canvas Bags), animal rights (Bears Don’t Dig On Dancing), religion (The Good Book), prejudice (erm, Prejudice) and forgiveness (The Song For Phil Daoust), you could mistake Tim for a right-on, left-wing, happy hippy, but you’d be way off the mark.

He’s just a man who sees life from a slightly-skewed angle, who isn’t afraid to say – or sing – what’s on his mind (on stage at least, as we find out with nine-minute beat poem Storm).

His black streak – how many musicians can use a malignant melanoma as such a direct metaphor for an unhealthy love? – lies alongside a colourful burst of childishness – praising boobs and poking fun at gingers – and that’s what makes Tim so endearing.

However, audience members will probably never hear Greensleeves without a slight shudder again. Ready For This? I thought I was...