Part magic show, part memoir, part flights of fancy, and all heart and humour – ‘Show Pony’ is an absolute shower of warmth and delights. It’s so generous, in fact, that Mohammed/Swallow opens the show with rapid laughs himself as a warm up man for his own support act – the very capable and enjoyably whimsical Ben Pope. Everyone is taken care of here, all we need to do is pay attention. The writing is fast and delivery more so at times.
The demarcation between Nick Mohammed and Mr Swallow is thinner than ever these days, now that he’s not only known as Mr Swallow in his live shows and 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown, but also Nick Mohammed the actor in Ted Lasso and The Martian, and genuine lovely bloke on Celebrity Traitors. Only the high pitched voice he adopts as Mr Swallow is the tell, and it’s such an enjoyable one – shrieking in outrage one minute and playing with rising and lowering inflections of mundane interest the next. Every emotion runs riot across his cadence, with the candour evoking a genuine warmth for him at each step.
‘Show Pony’ has something of an episodic structure, allowing Mohammed to control the ebb and flow of the show’s rhythm, following a series of fast-paced funny slides with an anecdote and then some magic. Nothing is overlong, everything is perfectly timed for maximum attention maintenance and laughter.
There’s an affectionate deconstruction and demonstration of Mr Swallow, stepping into the metaverse of Mohammed referring to the character – while occupying the character. It’s a polished glimpse behind the showbiz curtain that brings the large room of the Brighton Dome’s Concert Hall into a specific secondary school GCSE English class where the inspiration for the character originated with the truly fond quirks that latched into the imagination of Mohammed. Mr Swallow has taken wing from here, singing and performing all kinds of magic, both tonight and over the years in the number of shows we are given brief précis of. It’s a grand nod to the character and his journey, and rightful recognition of Mohammed’s impressive CV.
A little closer to present day is his frustration at attitudes from TV commissioners determined to involve his ethnicity in his comedy pitches. He sends it up, but it’s a real bugbear he doesn’t diminish with the humour around it.
‘Show Pony’ is a look back at the story so far, and it’s an absolutely impressive trail. Mohammed has every right to be the show pony and show off his achievements, his Emmy nominations, his accolades, his film and TV credits. Look where he is now! And just like the cascade of comedy callbacks delivered in his literal magical finale, the steps of how he got from that classroom to this Concert Hall fall into place like a perfect domino rally. Brilliant.
https://www.nickmohammedlive.com
*****
Picture: Matt Crockett
