Review by Sue Potter

Deal's Astor Theatre is an unconventional launching pad for a comedian embarking on a 'world tour' but when the comedian in question is Paul Foot then it all starts to make a sort of sense.

An established presence in the town thanks to his regular appearances at The Private Widdle Social Club, Paul, aka the “King of Deal”, is at his best in small, intimate venues where he can get up close and personal with the audience, and my goodness does he like to get up close.

After a long preamble from behind the curtain, which had the audience laughing before he’d even stepped on stage, Paul eventually emerged and got down to business although, technically, the show hadn’t actually started at this point and he was still in the middle of his “off stage announcement” which, he cheerfully announced, had been known to last up to 37 minutes.

Having outlined how the show would proceed and maligned the technical abilities of his helper, Jack, Paul was off the stage and into the audience bellowing nonsense about a politician and a cockerel sanctuary into peoples’ faces, whilst simultaneously giving a running commentary on the action and responding to quips from audience members.

It was akin to a large, boisterous puppy gate-crashing a dinner party, jumping up and licking the faces and humping the legs of as many of the guests as possible – hilarious, unstoppable and potentially very dangerous and embarrassing for all concerned.

Paul Foot launches his 'Still Life' world tour in  Deal, Kent

Safely back on stage, Paul introduced us to “Penny” who straightaway spied a young man filming her from the front row and began a dangerously flirtatious conversation with him that ended with “Penny” in a rage and the young man probably wishing he’d sat elsewhere.

And so it continued with Paul hopping on and off stage, fiddling with the curtains and occasionally disappearing entirely from view only to return suddenly and dive into his battered old briefcase for a bunch of decorated cards from which he read a series of observations and non-sequiters which he called “glimpses” and claimed were nothing like the “disturbances” of earlier shows.

Nothing was off limits or out of bounds so far as subject matter was concerned and any potential for offense was quickly diffused by the sheer force of his personality, which cannot easily be described but only really experienced.

As the show hurtled towards its conclusion some highly inventive business with a hobby horse and an egg timer resulted in the much publicised ending taking a bizarre and completely unexpected turn that nevertheless managed to deliver the promised poignancy and brought roars of approval and applause from the audience.

A truly unforgettable night’s entertainment that will surely prove once and for all that Paul Foot is no longer just the King of Deal but the new King of Everything that is funny, and bold and brave.