As I have previously said one of the perks of the job is that you get the chance to review gigs. I had always enjoyed the comedy of Billy Connolly so it was good to see him perform in Scarborough. We totally enjoyed the show and it is sad to contrast the fact he was on the top of his game at that gig with the subsequent fallout from his diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease.

Billy Connolly at the Futurist Theatre until tonight. Reviewed by Ian Duncan.

IT IS good news – while the rest of the world might be screwed Scarborough will be okay, according to Billy Connolly, and we even have a reasonable one-way system.

This was the first of a two-night stint in Scarborough and it began with technical difficulties with the sound system – but this did little to dampen the audience’s enthusiasm.

From the moment the comedian stepped on to the stage there was an immediate connection with the packed audience and he held them in the palm of his hand for almost two hours.

Singing I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside he mentioned his Too Old To Die Young tour had called in at Blackpool, which immediately rekindled a rivalry between the two resorts, and he was quick to add that Scarborough was winning.

It is easy to see his appeal because we can all identify with his keen observations from everyday life.

His stream of consciousness routines take in a variety of subjects ranging from suicide bombers, the Catholic Church, Songs of Praise and a graphic description of obese sex.

I will never look at a small dog, which has possibly been overfed on chocolate, in the same way again.

And I am always amazed with the way Billy will start with one story, take a quantum leap to a completely unrelated subject, and when all seems lost and there seems to be no way back he will somehow arrive back somewhere close to where he began and seamlessly pick up the thread.

He has always divided audiences, they either love him or hate him, usually because of his swearing. If you do not like comedians who swear then this is possibly not for you.

Although I had heard some of his material before I think, on the whole, the audience enjoyed the show.

One woman, who was sitting just behind me, was laughing so hard I think she may have caused some structural damage to the Futurist’s foundations.

Those who are lucky enough to have tickets for tonight’s performance are in for a treat.

From the Scarborough Evening News on Friday, September 21, 2007.