‘All Star Stand-Up Showcase’ was anything but stellar, and everybody in the audience and on the bill knew it. Lacklustre comedians abandoned their limp stories part way through, berated viewers for barely cracking a smile during their sets, and even offered fake pseudonyms as they left the stage in embarrassment; the final act concluded that we had witnessed a succession of increasingly harrowing nervous breakdowns. At the end of this appalling first performance, the weary compère begged the five-strong audience to donate £100 each so that he could break even on his investment straight away, cancel the run entirely, and pretend that this sorry mess never happened. Please do not see this show. Life is too short to waste.

Laughing Horse @ The White Horse, 2-26 Aug, 6.00pm.
tw rating 1/5 | [Joseph Fleming]