Written by Hope White-Heath and translated by Iwan Thomas.
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On September 30th and October 1st James Acaster performed 2 sets in the Arts Centre. It felt like seeing 2 different Comedians.
If you know James Acaster, you know how he is constantly evolving. He must be. Especially, considering how popular he is today. Both his Friday and Saturday shows were packed, it was possibly the busiest I’ve seen anywhere in Aberystwyth ever. Each one of his comedy shows have been extremely different from the last. But in the show, he’s currently performing, Acaster’s persona is certainly at the most introspective his audience has seen him.
This juxtaposition of a light, whimsical outer layer mixed with a meatier, contemplative self is at the heart of Acaster’s work. His new show ‘Please Heckle Me’ marries these two aspects of his comedy perfectly. One of the first bits he did was all about how his therapist told him the set was a great idea. It shows self-introspection within stand-up that the audience is not normally afforded. Of course, this directive to heckle leaves Acaster with wiggle room to make the more playful jokes that some of his audience knows him for. Acaster is also well known for his ‘Off Menu’ podcast with Ed Gamble. Within this podcast, it is clear Gamble functions as the straight man for Acaster’s more eccentric role.
Most of Acaster’s audience, like myself, seem to know that his stand up is at its funniest when existing in the grey area between light and dark. However, there are those who require black or white. The majority of heckles Acaster got seemed to be those craving Acaster at his quirkiest. Screaming inside jokes from his podcast like, ‘POPPADOMS OR BREAD’ and ‘DO A RANT ABOUT CHEESEBOARDS’. Shoutout to the Taskmaster society who shouted down to James that they, ‘had his Lord and Saviour Greg Davies’ it was a pity he couldn’t see the life-size cardboard cut-out of this ‘Lord and Saviour. His Friday show quickly became something no-one in the Arts Centre was expecting, including Acaster who revelled in the newness of the experience. Someone heckled who seemed to be more on the contemplative side of the Acaster scale. Her name was Chris and she was amazing. There was another character called Steve who jumped in right out of the gate with a heckle of, ‘Aber loves twinks’. He continued heckling these artfully crafted phrases until Chris responded with, ‘They all just want their five minutes of fame’. She quickly became the antagonist of the piece. People were booing and heckling her. Acaster absolutely loved her, I imagine he doesn’t meet many people like Chris on this tour. It was a great night of what felt like a funnier and more disorientating Jeremy Kyle.
The second night was utterly different. In total, there were about four heckles. Surprising when contrasted with the millions the night before. I could put it down to the time: nine in the evening on the Friday and half six on the Saturday. It’s safe to say a lot of people were pissed out of their mind on the Friday, aiding their confidence to derail the show. About five minutes into the Saturday set, Acaster had done all the material he was able to get through the day before. I was gladI went to the Saturday show, as always, he was hilarious, but it felt like the audience got to spend more time with Acaster himself rather than Chris, Steve or the Taskmaster society. The highlights have to be the flashbacks to his younger years. These merged his unconventional, lighter humour with more serious topics. He talked about his first time on stage: when his Grandmother came into his school to demonstrate how to use a spinning wheel. He cried because he was not picked to try it out at the end so then, out of pity, he was bought on stage and sat on his Grandmother’s lap. This image is an upsetting one, a young boy sobbing on his Grandma’s lap in front of his classmates. The way it was described had everyone in laughing fits. He coupled the absurd image of the spinning wheel with the lonely image of his younger self so well. Acaster then went on to talk about how his therapist told him that whenever he is on stage, he is carrying that boy with him, and he should protect him. This led to a joke that perfectly encapsulated this new show. In one of the rare heckles on Saturday, someone called out, ‘DO A POSE’ which Acaster instantly obliged, posing like a body builder to show off his muscles. He then pointed to the back of the stage and retorted, ‘the boy’s posing too’ Acaster then posed as a star fish to let the audience in on what he was seeing. Bringing this lonely boy to the table with such a light-hearted joke, somehow made it funnier.
It is probably clear that I think James Acaster has a hard task in front of him, working to live in the grey of his comedy. He is still refining this, and I think that job will never be complete. Some of his audience will always be wanting either version of extreme from him, something which he is not. If his new tour demonstrates anything, it’s that he is willing to tackle this head on. It also shows an impressive versatility, being able to mould the show to the atmosphere of the audience that night.
I went to the toilet after the Saturday gig. I ran into these two ladies talking about how funny it was. One of them interrupted and said, ‘I just want to give him a big hug’ to which the other replied, ‘and a big snog too’. As reactions to stand-ups go, I think that’s not bad.
Adolygiad o James Acaster: Please Heckle Me
Ar y 30ain Medi a’r 1af Hydref perfformiodd James Acaster ddwy sioe yng Nghanolfan y Celfyddydau. Roedd yn teimlo fel pe bawn i’n gweld dau ddigrifwr gwahanol.
Os ydych chi’n adnabod James Acaster, rydych chi’n gwybod sut mae’n esblygu’n gyson. Rhaid iddo. Yn enwedig o ystyried pa mor boblogaidd ydyw heddiw. Roedd ei sioeau dydd Gwener a dydd Sadwrn dan ei sang, o bosib y prysuraf i mi weld erioed yn unrhyw le yn Aberystwyth. Mae pob un o’i sioeau comedi wedi bod yn hynod wahanol i’r olaf. Ond yn y sioe mae’n perfformio ar hyn o bryd, persona Acaster yn sicr yw’r mwyaf mewnblyg y mae ei gynulleidfa wedi’i weld.
Mae’r cyfosodiad hwn o haen allanol ysgafn, mympwyol wedi’i chymysgu â hunan fwy cignoeth, myfyriol wrth wraidd gwaith Acaster. Mae ei sioe newydd ‘Please Heckle Me’ yn cyfuno’r ddwy agwedd yma o’i gomedi yn berffaith. Un o’r darnau cyntaf a wnaeth oedd sut y dywedodd ei therapydd wrtho fod y set yn syniad gwych. Mae’n dangos hunan-ddealltwriaeth o fewn stand-up na roddir i’r gynulleidfa fel arfer. Wrth gwrs, mae’r awgrym hwn i groesawu heclo yn gadael i Acaster greu lle i wneud y jôcs mwy chwareus y mae rhai o’i gynulleidfa yn adnabod amdano. Mae Acaster hefyd yn adnabyddus am ei bodlediad ‘Off Menu’ gydag Ed Gamble. Yn y podlediad hwn, mae’n amlwg bod Gamble yn gweithredu fel y dyn syth ar gyfer rôl fwy ecsentrig Acaster.
Mae’n ymddangos bod y rhan fwyaf o gynulleidfa Acaster, fel fi, yn gwybod bod ei stand-up ar ei fwyaf doniol pan mae’n bodoli yn yr ardal lwyd rhwng golau a thywyllwch. Fodd bynnag, mae rhai sydd angen du neu wyn. Mae’n debyg mai’r rhan fwyaf o’r herian a gafodd Acaster oedd y rhai oedd yn dyheu am Acaster ar ei fwyaf rhyfedd. Yn sgrechian jôcs tu fewn o’i bodlediad fel, ‘POPPADOMS OR BREAD’ a ‘DO A RANT ABOUT CHEESEBOARDS’. Gwaeddodd i Gymdeithas y Tasgfeistri a waeddodd ar James eu bod wedi ‘cael ei Arglwydd a’i Waredwr Greg Davies’, mae’n drueni na allai weld y cardfwrdd maint llawn sydd wedi’i dorri allan o’r ‘Arglwydd a Gwaredwr’ hwn. Yn fuan iawn y daeth ei sioe dydd Gwener yn rhywbeth nad oedd neb yng Nghanolfan y Celfyddydau yn ei ddisgwyl, gan gynnwys Acaster a oedd wrth ei fodd â newydd-deb y profiad. Chwarddodd rhywun a oedd yn ymddangos yn fwy ar ochr adlewyrchol graddfa Acaster. Ei henw oedd Chris ac roedd hi’n anhygoel. Roedd yna gymeriad arall o’r enw Steve a gychwynnodd yn syth gan heclo, ‘Aber loves twinks’. Parhaodd i heclo’r ymadroddion crefftus hyn nes i Chris ymateb gyda, ‘Maen nhw i gyd eisiau eu pum munud o enwogrwydd’. Daeth yn wrthwynebydd y darn yn gyflym. Roedd pobl yn bwio a heclo hi. Roedd Acaster wrth ei bodd gyda hi, dwi'n dychmygu nad yw hi'n cwrdd â llawer o bobl fel Chris ar y daith hon. Roedd y noson yn wych o beth ac roedd yn teimlo fel Jeremy Kyle mwy doniol a mwy dryslyd.
Roedd yr ail noson yn hollol wahanol. Yn gyfan gwbl, roedd tua phedwar yn herian. Syndod o'i gyferbynnu â'r miliynau y noson gynt. Dywedwn mai oherwydd yr amser oedd: naw yn yr hwyr ar y Gwener a hanner awr wedi chwech ar y Sadwrn. Mae'n ddiogel dweud bod llawer o bobl wedi meddwi’n rhacs ddydd Gwener, gan helpu eu hyder i daflu’r sioe. Tua phum munud i mewn i set dydd Sadwrn, roedd Acaster wedi gwneud yr holl ddeunydd a aeth trwyddo y diwrnod cynt. Roeddwn yn falch fy mod wedi mynd i'r sioe ddydd Sadwrn, fel bob amser, roedd yn ddoniol, ond roedd yn teimlo bod y gynulleidfa yn gallu treulio mwy o amser gyda Acaster ei hun yn hytrach na Chris, Steve neu'r Taskmaster Society. Mae'n rhaid mai'r uchafbwyntiau yw pan oedd yn hel atgofion o’i flynyddoedd iau. Cyfunodd y rhain ei hiwmor anghonfensiynol, ysgafnach â phynciau mwy difrifol. Soniodd am ei dro cyntaf ar y llwyfan: pan ddaeth ei Nain i mewn i'w ysgol i ddangos iddynt sut i ddefnyddio olwyn nyddu. Gwaeddodd oherwydd na chafodd ei ddewis i roi cynnig arni, felly yn y diwedd, a dweud y gwir, daethant ag ef ar y llwyfan ac eisteddodd ar lin ei Nain. Mae'r ddelwedd hon yn peri gofid, bachgen ifanc yn ei ddagrau ar lin ei Nain o flaen ei gyd-ddisgyblion. Roedd y ffordd y cafodd ei ddisgrifio wedi gwneud i bawb ffrwydro chwerthin. Mae’r ddelwedd hurt o’r troell droellog ynghyd â’r ddelwedd unig pan oedd yn iau mor dda. Yna aeth Acaster ymlaen i siarad am sut y dywedodd ei therapydd wrtho ei fod yn cario'r bachgen hwnnw gydag ef pryd bynnag y mae ar y llwyfan, ac y dylai ei amddiffyn. Arweiniodd hyn at jôc a oedd yn crynhoi’r sioe newydd hon yn berffaith. Gan un o'r prin rhai wnaeth heclo ddydd Sadwrn, dyma rhywun yn bloeddio, 'DO A POSE' ac aeth Acaster ati ar unwaith, gan gymryd arno ei fod yn adeiladwr corff i ddangos ei gyhyrau. Pwyntiodd wedyn at gefn y llwyfan a dychwelyd i, 'mae'r bachgen yn ystumio hefyd’. Roedd Acaster wedyn yn ymddangos fel seren fôr i adael i'r gynulleidfa wybod beth roedd yn ei weld. Roedd dod â’r bachgen unig hwn at y bwrdd gyda jôc mor ysgafn rhywsut yn ei wneud yn fwy doniol.
Mae'n debyg ei bod hi'n glir fy mod i'n meddwl bod gan James Acaster waith caled o'i flaen, yn gweithio i fyw yn llwyd ei gomedi. Mae'n dal i fireinio hyn, a chredaf na fydd y swydd honno byth yn gyflawn. Bydd rhai o'i gynulleidfa bob amser eisiau'r naill fersiwn neu'r llall o'r eithaf ganddo, nad yw ef. Os yw ei daith newydd yn rhywbeth i fynd heibio, mae'n fodlon mynd i'r afael â hyn yn uniongyrchol. Mae hefyd yn dangos amlbwrpasedd trawiadol, gan allu mowldio'r sioe i awyrgylch y gynulleidfa y noson honno.
Es i i'r toiled ar ôl y gig dydd Sadwrn. Rhedais i mewn i'r ddwy ddynes hon yn siarad am ba mor ddoniol ydoedd. Torrodd un ohonynt ar draws a dweud, 'Dwi am roi cwtsh mawr iddo ac atebodd y llall, 'a chusan fawr hefyd'. O ystyried ymatebion i stand-ups, nid yw hynny'n ddrwg yn fy marn i.