Lee Nelson, Assembly George Square 7:30pm, until 24 Aug, £17.50 (£16 concessions)
It is astonishing that a substantial amount of people still think Lee Nelson is real and take great offence at some of his outbursts, thinking his views are the thoughts of a genuine person. Nelson is a creation of character comedian Simon Brodkin, a trained medical doctor who has been portraying ‘likable chav’ Lee for many years.
Nelson’s popularity has increased as a result of several televised outings which have received very mixed reviews – ultimately, with this type of act, there will be people who completely detest the characters and others who gel with a lot, or all of, the created personas.
With this in mind, Brodkin’s acting and comedic timing are commendable. His ability to generate uproar is documented in the show, which features footage of Brodkin as his vain footballer alter ego Jason Bent being arrested earlier this year for warming up with an actual football team and footage of Lee Nelson stealing his own live DVD.
This live performance is a chance for the audience to meet Lee (his interaction with the crowd being a highlight of the show) and two more of Brodkin’s creations – the aforementioned Jason Bent and homophobic yet apparent homosexual pastor Daniel Doolay. Nelson returns at the end to host a gameshow that is… memorable. Memorable indeed.
Scottish independence, county colloquialism and many stereotypes feature throughout the hour, with Jason Bent’s segment managing to be topical yet ironic throughout. Lee Nelson has a sharp yet coarse streak throughout him and the pastor segment is relatively crude, yet the audience seemed to be humoured by each character equally.
Fans of Lee Nelson will enjoy seeing him in the flesh; particularly those who watched his BBC3 show ‘Lee Nelson’s Well Funny People’. The reason that this is not quite a 4/5 show is the lack of other characters from his recent TV outing – other comedic creations such as the Scottish weatherman, the Geordie chef and the Scottish charity campaigner would have boosted the variety in the show.
