James Barr at Frog and Bucket

James Barr Straight Jokes was a standup session at Frog and Bucket by the eponymous podcaster as part of Manchester Fringe. It was well done and very well received by a large predominantly LGBTQ+ audience with a smattering of straight people to balance things.

A straight man (Keith) was brave enough to put his hand up when peoples’ sexuality was canvassed and he could be forgiven for wishing he hadn’t as James returned to him a few times in the evening which lasted about an hour and was just the right length.

The topics covered varied considerably (BLM, Will Young, conversion therapy, Peter Tatchell, JK Rowling, chicken nuggets, the Guardian, North Korea, Captain Tom amongst many many others). It’s hard to imagine a lot of them being joked about but we were all laughing even if a couple of them made us wince first. I forget what “anal sex mama” was about in my notes but I suspect that fell into the latter category. A couple of times he ended up in a dead end and had to pause to regain his thread, but that’s what Fringe is about.

The team at Frog and Bucket were welcoming and a packed house filled what turned out to be an ideal venue for such a show.

It was a very enjoyable evening and it’s a pity this was a one night only event – here in Manchester anyhow.

Edinburgh audiences will soon be able to enjoy this perfomance aswell.

More here 

Paul Schofield for Canal St Media

Published: 21-Jul-2022 (6739)