Review: COLIN HOULT: COLIN, Soho Theatre

“I’m going to tell the story of three lovely eggs”

Colin Hoult: Colin is a show in which Hoult tells the audience the story of his life, beginning with the origins of his name (he was named after his father, referred to as “Big Colin”) and leading to having children of his own (not named Colin). We learn about his childhood obsession with Elvis, and even his mother bringing out a Ouija board for Christmas.

Quite a bit of the show focuses on Hoult’s hometown of Mapperley, particularly Mapperley Top, an area in the town that’s known for its shops and restaurants, and Mapperley Hospital, a mental health facility built in the 1880s. I particularly enjoyed Hoult’s usage of the tower of Mapperley Hospital as a metaphor for his own struggles with mental health growing up, finding himself in a family where only his father appeared to be “normal” and the rest of his family could be described with the phrase, “He’s not right.” 

Along with his hometown, Hoult discusses what it is like to marry into a posh family, drawing hilarious comparisons between Mapperley and New Forest, where he expresses awe at the ponies wandering around and feels like a creature compared to his in-laws. There are quite a few sweet moments of the show that focus on Hoult’s relationship with his wife as well as their two children, a seven-year-old son obsessed with dinosaurs and nine-year-old daughter who has a fascination with Ancient Egyptian burial rituals. The ending is bittersweet, with Hoult reflecting on his own relationship with his father, becoming the new “Big Colin” as his son begins to grow up and figure out what he wants to do in life. 

Unfortunately, the show was lacking cohesion. Hoult acknowledges that he is easily distracted but he seems to be particularly so during the performance. From the moment he steps onto the stage he appears to be drawn to three bald men in the audience, calling them “eggs” and being unable to get into the actual start of the show for several minutes. Hoult comments that the show is “like an evening with Joe Biden,” and I found it difficult to disagree.

Hoult makes a point of saying that this is “not one of those shows,” seemingly separating his work from those of comedians who choose to focus on mental health issues. It’s a strange choice, especially for this particular night when Hoult is constantly referring to his ADHD and self-diagnosed autism, including calling out his own tics. 

Colin Hoult: Colin is an interesting hour of storytelling comedy that has some great moments but struggles to be a fully cohesive show. Hoult has a talent for telling engaging stories but moments of distraction make it difficult to follow most of the stories told. 

Colin Hoult: Colin ran from 8 to 11 January at Soho Theatre

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