Review of Nick Mohammed's new tour

In keeping with the overwhelming trend in stand-up, Mr Swallow promises that Show Pony is his most personal show yet.  Which is all well and good, save for the fact Mr Swallow isn’t actually a real person.

Psychologists would have their work cut out unpicking Nick Mohammed from his excitable, camp, shrill alter-ago, prone to wild digressions that has him occasionally stop to ask the audience: ‘How did we get talking about that?’ But the Ted Lasso star sums it up best by saying it’s simply because everything sounds funnier in that exaggerated, high-pitched Northern persona than in his own RP voice. There’s no arguing with that.

In the fudge between persona and reality, we’re told a little bit about how this character was inspired by his English Teacher who couldn’t even read war poetry without a theatrical flourish, and who used to swallow as she spoke, hence the name. Indeed, the stage set recalls a classroom.

More significantly, the premise for all this is a damning insight into industry pigeonholing as Mohammed recalls a meeting with a TV commissioner who kiboshed the idea of a sitcom vehicle for Mr Swallow, based on the excellent idea of him being the entertainments manager of a cruise ship. But the executive wanted all his ethnic comedians to talk about their identity – not just be silly and fun. That the broadcasting bigwig wrongly assumed Mohammed’s background makes the incident all the more ironic.

Plus Show Pony proves that you can be ridiculous AND have a point, at least if you’re as creative as Mohammed is, leaving his serious message in the unserious hands of the garrulous Mr Swallow, an old-school entertainer in sparkly gold jacket and bow tie, taking to the stage with his cockeyed version of shiny-floor razzmatazz that’s undermined by the character’s nervous, try-hard energy

For all his intentions of drilling deep into his psyche, the show is – as ever – underpinned by impressive, original magic tricks, cunningly underplayed. Add to the mix a brief one-man Phantom Of The Opera, much stand-up incredulity about Lego’s age ratings, more material than you’d expect on the subject of his foot, and the heartfelt yet meaningless song about plastic bags he’s previously performed on Cats Do Countdown and much else besides.

This is a silly act from a smart person, and while having all these disparate variety-style elements can make the show feel a little bitty, it’s ultimately held together by Mr Swallow’s unaffected enthusiasm, along with some artful callbacks.

True to the promise we do get snippets  of what the real Mohammed thinks, including some brief material on The Traitors – which is likely to catapult him to new levels of mainstream fame since he’s just been announced for the celebrity version – and last year’s Bafta ceremony, where he delivered an in-character, on-rollerskates housekeeping announcement that baffled the assembled A-listers.  By making this into material he snatches a victory from the defeat. 

Is that backlash enough to quell his over-the-top showmanship? Don’t bet on it. While Mohammed  tries to resist the lure of the show-offy set piece showstopper now he’s trying to be a soul-baring comedian, he naturally can’t resist its call. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.

• Nick Mohammed is touring with Mr Swallow In Show Pony until November. Mr Swallow tour dates.

Review date: 19 May 2025
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Aylesbury Waterside Theatre