The only constant is change, they say, and nowhere is that more obvious than in the various transformations our local treasure Screaming Blue Murder has undergone in the last few months. Now in the comfortable and atmospheric setting of Lola’s Bar, adjacent to the Royal and Derngate theatre, it’s an intimate location with top quality drinks (always helps) and a small stage area decked out like Beverley’s living room in Abigail’s Party.
However, one thing that is as constant as the northern star, and that’s the presence of Dan Evans as MC for the evening. Warmly welcoming and irrepressibly cheeky in equal measure, Dan wasted no time in digging deep into the lives and loves of John the psychotherapist from Brixworth and Dylan and Emma still in the first flushes of romance. Where would we be without him?
Our first act, and someone we always look forward to seeing, was Mary Bourke, one of the surest hands in comedy, with her blistering, sometimes dangerous, often withering delivery of her cracking observations. Hers is an act honed to perfection; what might seem to be a throwaway line is in fact an exquisitely crafted and carefully chosen selection of words designed to have the maximum impact. Among her finest material on Sunday were memories of a book festival with Liz Truss (ouch), dealing with incels and how a renowned American comic came to grief in Glasgow (it can happen). Always expect the unexpected with Mary Bourke; a terrific start to the show.
After the interval, Dan welcomed James Cook, whom we’ve seen just once before, down the end of a Zoom screen on those dark days of distanced comedy during Covid lockdown. An engaging, jolly personality, he delivers his material with warmth and confidence; and although many of his topics are perhaps rather familiar – such as being the parents of small children – his observations and fresh and original and makes you see those familiar things from a new perspective. I loved (and was indeed rather shocked) at his material about the seismic change that has affected the world of pass-the-parcel, and his home-made method of returning to the good old days of porn (that sounds iffier than it is, honest). He sets up an excellent rapport with the crowd and his set finished all too soon.
There’s one more Screaming Blue Murder this year – in December – which is currently scheduled to take place back in Screen 2 of the cinema, but hopefully the powers that be will see the wisdom of returning to Lola’s Bar for a genuine Northampton Fringe experience. And then – in 2025 – it’s back to the Royal and hopefully, the freshly reinvigorated (and hopefully now safe from RAAC) Underground space where SBM has always thrived. Can’t wait!