I had the good fortune to see Stratagem live in Leeds, UK, in May 2022 during an overseas business trip. The recording available from the London show in April is consistent...and funny!
First, who other than the character of Alan Partridge can still be funny after close to 30 years? No, he's not the same as the oft-repeated "cringeworthy" Alan of Armando Iannucci and Peter Baynham. Instead, he's the brilliant recreation of Neil and Ron Gibbons. Instead of being the failure trying to bounce back, he's arrived at a level well below his dreams. We can thank the brothers Gibbons for giving us Scissored Isle, This Time, the truly excellent From the Oasthouse podcast, the book I, Partridge, and more. They're brilliant, end of.
Second, who other than Alan Partridge is self-centered enough to launch a national tour of his self-help brand for two solid hours, being met with the harsh reality of his continued fruitless pursuit of success and fame. He's accompanied by Lynn, Martin Brennan (hands down the best character introduced in years), and the astute will notice the Irish guitarist is our old friend Glenn Ponder from KMKYWAP.
Third, this is LIVE. For TWO hours. You really have to be your character to be in character for that long in a live performance. No one can be more Partridge than Steve Coogan.
To be fair, the 120-minute time is more generous than it needed to be as there are some segments that drag (the Stratagem testimonial in particular and the bit where he has a participant from the audience who ends up giving him life advice) but the good parts, of which there are many, far outweigh any of the weak spots.
First, who other than the character of Alan Partridge can still be funny after close to 30 years? No, he's not the same as the oft-repeated "cringeworthy" Alan of Armando Iannucci and Peter Baynham. Instead, he's the brilliant recreation of Neil and Ron Gibbons. Instead of being the failure trying to bounce back, he's arrived at a level well below his dreams. We can thank the brothers Gibbons for giving us Scissored Isle, This Time, the truly excellent From the Oasthouse podcast, the book I, Partridge, and more. They're brilliant, end of.
Second, who other than Alan Partridge is self-centered enough to launch a national tour of his self-help brand for two solid hours, being met with the harsh reality of his continued fruitless pursuit of success and fame. He's accompanied by Lynn, Martin Brennan (hands down the best character introduced in years), and the astute will notice the Irish guitarist is our old friend Glenn Ponder from KMKYWAP.
Third, this is LIVE. For TWO hours. You really have to be your character to be in character for that long in a live performance. No one can be more Partridge than Steve Coogan.
To be fair, the 120-minute time is more generous than it needed to be as there are some segments that drag (the Stratagem testimonial in particular and the bit where he has a participant from the audience who ends up giving him life advice) but the good parts, of which there are many, far outweigh any of the weak spots.