Simon Evans: In The Money - The Lowry Theatre, Salford

It has been a while since I've been to a stand up comedy show, and even longer since I've been to one on my own. But on Wednesday night both of those habits were re-discovered when I journeyed to the Quays Theatre, in the even bigger Lowry Theatre Centre in Salford, to see Mr Simon Evans do his particular comedy thing, with a side order of economics and financial advice thrown into the mix for good measure!

Now to be honest, when I saw the title of this show was 'In The Money', and when I saw the covering blurb, I thought perhaps understandably that it was a joke. I just thought the idea of a stand up comedian doling out anything even remotely economic, seriously or not, was just laughable, and that it was simply inserted into the advertising to make it ironically unique, and to attract interest. I had watched and enjoyed Simon Evans' particular style of aloof, middle class and possibly grumpy middle-aged man style of comedy on telly before, and I just thought I'd get more of the same live.

That is what I did get, and it was pitched and timed perfectly. The man clearly has been in this game a while and, despite his apparent middle-class southern persona, knows how to deliver comedy and garner laughs from any crowd anywhere. What I expected to get I was glad to and then some, but indeed in the second half of the show the audience were treated to Simon Evans' comedy wrapped around the financial situation of both the UK and the globe. I won't try and describe the detail, because it was such a bizarre yet brilliant mix of personal opinion, financial history, basic theory and observational comedy the likes of which I had never seen before, nor crucially had I ever expected to see before. I could not conceive even the most iconic and legendary comics channelling a stand up performance through such financial/economic channels for so long, yet here Simon Evans was making it look easy.

Indeed, the result was a truly unique night of comedy, that left me and I expect most of the audience with a genuine feeling of warmth, familiarity, and hilarity, with a few stock market tips thrown into the bargain!