Review: THE VERY BEST AND WORST OF MR SWALLOW, Duke of York's Theatre

For the first time, Nick Mohammed's beloved alter ego Mr. Swallow is setting off across the UK on tour with The Very Best & Worst of Mr. Swallow. And what better way to kick off your very first tour than with a sold-out London show?

Judging by the number of people wearing AFC Richmond merchandise, a large portion of the audience have come to know Mohammed through Apple TV's Emmy award-winning show Ted Lasso. Although he is very keen to stress at the start that this is a very different show - as he puts it, "Less Hannah Waddingham, more your mum's friend Hannah from church who runs Guides on Wednesdays VERY well".

Mr. Swallow, Mohammed's brilliant comic creation, often features on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, where his memory tricks and penchant for writing lyrics to John Williams' scores (his Jurassic Park lyrics are something my friends and I quote to each other often), have made him a fan favourite.

Some of those classic Mr. Swallow tricks cross over into this live show although it doesn't make them any less impressive. Solving a Rubik's cube is hard work at the best of times, but doing it quickly on stage in front of a packed theatre while on roller-skates, takes some serious skill.

Yes, you read that right - Mohammed performs the entire show while wearing roller skates. Difficult even in normal circumstances but given the rake of the stage at the Duke of York's, poor Mohammed spends much of his time ensuring he doesn't fall into the front row.

The show is extremely fast paced. Although Mr. Swallow jumps from memorising a pack of playing cards to a scene-by-scene breakdown of Les Mis and grumbling about the insanity of the classic Christmas carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas" (he works out that the recipient of the gifts ends up with 364 individual items by the end of the song if taken cumulatively), it's so brilliantly executed that you never feel overwhelmed.

And although the nasal-voiced, Mr. Swallow is a high-energy oddball who constantly reminds us that he has no friends, by the end of the show you're left wanting to spend even more time in his company. From mathematics to magic tricks, mentalism to musicals, this really does have it all and Mohammed's impeccable comedic timing and brilliant writing will give audience's a night to remember.

Just a word of warning, you may end up with a pain in your side or sore facial muscles from laughing so hard.

Nick Mohammed Presents The Very Best and Worst of Mr. Swallow returns to Duke of York's Theatre on 21 May.

Photo Credit: CapturedbyCorinne

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