Review by Steve Bennett

Probably the most noteworthy thing about Colin Quinn’s show about the entire history of the world, is that it was directed by Jerry Seinfeld. And as you might expect given the influence of the ultimate pro, the result is exquisitely slick, classy and polished.

It’s broad and accessible, too. Based on universal experience and national stereotypes, there’s nothing too unexpected in the wide-ranging content. If you only see one stand-up show this year, you should see this… but if you see lots, you might want to seek out something more surprising.

Performed in front of a beautifully-produced slideshow, Quinn takes us through every empire, from Incas to modern America, from the Greeks to the Muslim world, with hundreds of years of civilisation boiled down into six-minute chunks. It’s slightly reminiscent of the way Russell Peters has a bit of material on people from just about every corner of the world – everything’s covered, just not too deeply.

With broad brushstrokes, the ancient Romans are depicted like modern-day Goodfellas, the British are full of haughty contempt, while France is a coquettish mademoiselle. Yet although these ideas are broadly familiar, Quinn frequently crafts solid, reliable comedy around them. On to that he occasionally grafts more tenuously connected stand-up routines on, say, paedophile priests or 21st century selfishness, which sticks out a little, though he’s sandpapered the edges as much as he can. Primarily, though, the show always advances with such relentless forward momentum that nothing outstays its welcome.

What gives it more substances are Quinn’s theories on humanity that thread the individual segments. Although some of his philosophies are more fully cocked than others, his take on events can be interesting as well as funny, as he explains why Socrates was wrong, or how the Silk Road trade route helped break down tribal instincts. More pertinently, he proposes what fatal flaws brought each empire to its knees, which obviously has special resonance for a debt-ridden America over-reaching in foreign domains.

The 52-year-old approaches all this with his no-nonsense, Brooklyn street smarts – an everyman touch that avoids any danger of this becoming a lecture, bringing a sort of gruff acceptance that this is simply the way of things. Whaddya gonna do about it, eh?

For the climax, everything is tied together as neatly as you might expect, with a scene that reimagines the Iraq war as a downtown bar fight. All Quinn’s national archetypes are revived in this extended metaphor of a set-piece that brings the night to a satisfyingly witty, if not hilarious, end matching the tone of the previous 75 minutes.

Published: 31 Jul 2011