Review: Sean Hughes - Penguins

Sean Hughes has probably changed a little bit since you last saw him. He is, after all, forty seven and not on our screens as much as he was in his Nineties TV heyday. Even his Irish accent has faded. But he’s still funny.

His latest show Penguins begins in zany fashion with Sean performing a brief puppet show to the strains of Edith Piaf’s 'Je ne regretted rien'. Which he proceeds to mime to. While in drag. The reasons for his choice of dress are never really explained and Sean even questions his own music selection arguing (convincingly) that anyone who tells you that they have no regrets whatsoever is probably lying.

Happily things settled down as Sean quickly got into his usual funny, thoughtful style interacting with the audience, reading bits of his own poetry and reflecting on his upbringing, relationships  and life in general. 

He is particularly good on the differences between is generation and the “under 29s” (who he notices make up only a small proportion of the audience) and is clearly nostalgic for the pre-internet/mobile phone era. That said, Sean deploys a number of visual aids himself throughout the show, notably a “black box of memories,” and a clever device where he recalls childhood friends by using miniature coats to represent them.

All of which makes the show sound a lot more pretentious than it actually is. But, make no mistake, while Sean very occasionally threatens to get too intense, this award winning show is clever, amusing and consistently delightful.

The only mystery (other than why Sean chooses to wear women’s clothes throughout the first half) is why this likeable and intelligent stand-up no longer enjoys the high profile he once did.