It’s been ten years since we first saw Russell Hicks, since when he has been a mainstay in our comedy list of must-see favourites. A regular pop-up at comedy clubs, this is his first proper UK tour; it’s ten years since he moved here, and he’s clearly decided that he’s Happy to be Here (as that’s the title of the show). Of course, all proper UK tours have a support act; and his is Russell Hicks, in the form of an introduction, who comes on for twenty-five minutes for a bit of banter and get-to-know-you. After the interval he returns as Russell Hicks, headliner, where he actually appears to have some pre-prepared material. I know! I couldn’t believe it either.
If you’ve seen him before, you’ll know that he’s all about reacting to whatever accidental comedy gems the audience throws at him – and he’ll run with them as surely and swiftly as if Usain Bolt were nipping at his heels. The man has an extraordinary memory and attention to detail; the tiniest fact that might have been briefly mentioned an hour and a half earlier and to which no one paid any real attention, will suddenly reappear as a callback from the Gods. An undeniable fact: sit anywhere near the front and it’s likely you will be part of the action. Fortunately, he comes across as hugely likeable, so he can get away with the most merciless of teasing; and whilst he does have a slight sense of danger about him, none of his humour is ever cruel. In fact, the badinage is often supportive and kindly.
From conversations with audience members, we learned how Iain is a football darts kind of guy, Marco is from Germany but has an Italian name because it was trendy at the time, Sam is a 20 year old electrician with the world at his feet, Danielle and Ryan were probably at it in the car during the interval, the man from Turkey has been here 29 years and is with Him Tim, and the couple in the front row had separate children (and pets) and lived in Rushden, which, apparently, is located just on the other side of the emergency exit. The show is nothing if not informative.
As indicated earlier, it’s not all audience-riffing. Ten years of living in Britain has revealed to him the true British behaviour on board trains – especially the late night ones, the nonsense of him passing his driving test on Skye, the differences between boy and girl children, and an appreciation for all the accents that the United Kingdom boasts. Such a shame he can only do one of them – norf London geezer (or for women, Essex girls). A brief brush with American politics shows why he can’t really disapprove of Donald Trump – it’s a tongue in cheek moment, don’t worry.
Above all, he is really happy to be here, and we’re very happy to have him. All that thinking on his feet must be exhausting – as a result no two Russell Hicks shows are ever the same, but they’re always full of laughter. As an example, he must have mined at least ten minutes of material from speculating on the differences between shows in the Royal (very aspirational), in the Derngate (not at all aspirational), and in what he called the Cinema Room, where he found himself – in reality, the rather unforgiving Screen 2 of the Northampton Filmhouse, whose career as a comedy venue will hopefully come to an end soon when the Underground finally reopens after they’ve got rid of all that RAAC. Whatever the venue, as an Official Hicksie (that’s what we are, apparently), he’s always welcome. The Happy to be Here tour continues on-and-off throughout the UK until April 2025, and you’d be daft to miss it.