Alfie Joey: Monopolise Live Theatre, Newcastle (From The Northern Echo)

Alfie Joey: Monopolise Live Theatre, Newcastle

3:17pm Thursday 21st July 2011 in Reviews

ALFIE JOEY’S daytime job is co-hosting BBC Newcastle’s breakfast show.

Before he took up that position a few years ago he was Derrick in all seven series of BBC3 cult sitcom Ideal (with Johnny Vegas) and had built up an illustrious record on the national and international stand-up comedy scene. I last saw him sharing the bill with Sarah Millican.

It’s obvious from this funny one-man show that Mr Joey has never lost his desire to entertain a live audience. With a nod to Mel Brooks, Monopolise is a comedy musical about murder, mystery and mayhem.

Over the years, many “pre- Edinburgh Fringe” shows have left me wondering why people of no discernable ability waste their time, energy and money aiming for that particular Holy Grail. This is a different.

The central figure, a guy called Lucky Schwartz, narrates in the manner of Raymond Chandler’s Victor Marlowe. A murder has been committed in Atlanta, in the US, and the trail leads to London, where a murder takes place in Mayfair during the World Monopoly Championships.

The tale eventually winds up in Newcastle.

Joey sings a dozen or so songs and plays about 20 characters, impersonating Fred Astaire, Bruce Forsythe (a hotelier!), Groucho Marx and Michael Parkinson en route.

It’s silly and good fun.

A few first-night glitches were seized on by Alfie to wring out more laughter. While being suitable for family viewing, this will go down particularly well with a late-night Edinburgh Fringe audience.