In March of this year I went and saw Rhod Gilbert perform his latest tour The Book of John and since he is coming to Edinburgh Fringe with the show, I thought I would re-post the review so you can see what you are in for if you plan to see it. 

Location: Pleasance at EICC – Pentland Theatre (Venue 150)

Dates: Aug 14-18, 21-25

Time: 20:30

Price: £22.50

Tickets: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/rhod-gilbert-the-book-of-john

Reviewed: March 2019, Newcastle City Hall 

It’s been very nearly 10 years since Rhod Gilbert handed in the stand up comedy flag and retired from stand up however this year he decided to return to the stage with a brand new show called The Book of John.

Just like his other shows, it follows a theme and every story that he tells will always go back to the original strand. The show follows the story about when he had a driver called John and the book is based around this gentleman. Even though he has been away for years his stand up is still top form and his approach to a topic is still as angry and comical as ever.

Even though all his past shows have been based around scenarios that he has been faced with in his everyday life, this show feels a lot more personal and even though it is hilarious it has a deep and meaningful message to it and you walk away feeling satisfied with the amount you have laughed but also thinking about the topics that have been discussed.

I am not going to go into depth as to what the topics are about as I feel it will be more of an impact if you see him talk about it live. There are some highlights of the show though that got the whole theatre laughing – some of the best ones include George Michael, Rob Brydon and Frozen prawns.

This is a show that you should go out of your way to see, firstly because it is not evident whether Rhod will do another stand up tour after this and also because the show is heartwarming as also hilarious and it is rare sometimes in comedy to see the vulnerability in which Rhod shows throughout this show.

It is a show full of laughs, shouting, swearing and emotion. He does say he never expected to return to stand up but when you watch the show and the topics discussed you can understand why – it sort of feels like a way he can detox and escape a little bit from what has been happening.

Rating: **** 4 stars – not as good as the Battenberg Tattoo or Mince Pie show but definitely worth watching as it is great to have Rhod back on the scene and fill the hole that comedy has been missing