Review of the visiting US stand-up

American comedian and little person Brad Williams makes his UK debut not in one of London’s many fine comedy clubs but in a freezing Spiegeltent erected outside The O2 arena for the new Just For Laughs festival.

‘Typical,’ he laughs about the venue. ‘Put the circus freak in the tent.’

That one line pretty much sums up his stand-up. He’s perfectly aware that there’s plenty funny about his stature – even if some might be uncomfortable acknowledging it – and is well-versed in getting laughs from his circumstances without any of the gags feeling as if they are, for want of a better phrase, punching down.

As he conjures up an image of himself with his much taller Chinese wife, he comments on how audiences feel as if they should be offended, but they can’t figure out why. From the mouth of a different comedian, some of his lines could be considered troublesome. But Williams’s routines are both self-deprecating and cheerfully positive, with a bit of an edge for being unsayable in different circumstances.

Yes, there are the as-expected references to Oompa-Loompas and Snow White which seem cheap (but are undeniably effective). But generally this hour is a honest, if slickly reemphasised, dispatch from his life.

Many routines begin in a universal place, as he brings up marital compromise, erectile dysfunction adverts or how kids like his three-year-old daughter say the funniest things. But these observational chunks are always tagged with jokes or whole sections about his height. Of course, they are: it’s his unique selling point, and what turns often ordinary build-ups into something far more distinctive.

And when it comes to the descriptions of him mowing the lawn, boarding a plane or getting into a fight with a dog, his size is the basis of the mental image, but his hapless misfortune is what we are really chuckling at.

A couple of gags got lost across the Atlantic – ‘Keebler’, a biscuit brand, is never going to fly as a punchline over here – but mostly Williams was pleasantly, and palpably, surprised that gags he doubted found resonance, the glee further adding to his naturally upbeat demeanour. He was even happy with the third-filled venue, noting he’s doing better here than he did with his Australian debut.

Williams is not the first comedian with a disability to laugh off the assumption that his very existence is somehow ‘inspirational’. However, he has that particular cake and eats it, too, by including an uplifting message to his daughter, who also has dwarfism, that is quietly powerful.

But don’t worry, we’re soon back to the stupid anecdotes. For this might be a show with a message, but that message is that Williams’ life is ridiculous. As is everyone’s… it’s just that he has better stories to illustrate that point than you do.

Review date: 3 Mar 2023
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett