We sent our reviewer Martin to watch Larry Dean: Hellbent
I’m a big fan of SNL UK, so the chance to watch a comedy hour with one of its stars was hard to pass up. Someone I’d watched in sketches over 8 episodes, performing as a traitors contestant, a golf pro and King Charles. I felt I had the measure of Larry Dean, with his intense facial expressions of uncanny accents.
About 10 minutes into the show, I realised I didn’t know Larry Dean at all, but I was in for an education. Embarrassingly, I didn’t even know he was Scottish.
Larry wields his phenomenal skill with accents, his jaunty angular poses and his stern gazes to create some big laughs. There’s many applause breaks, laughter breaks and actually a few jump scares.
But learning about the man behind the many voices and faces, was even more intriguing.
The show starts with some grounding material, Larry talks about Edinburgh and moving to London. He addresses his big eyes and physicality, reminding the audience they wouldn’t want to share a night bus with him. He made some gentle ribbing jokes about Americans, which felt long to me, only as I’d recently befriended my seat neighbours who were American. Did Larry make an enemy of them? No, I was relieved to see them laughing along, and certainly very happy as the show came to an end.
As the show progresses, we’re let in, little by little, to Larry’s world. Then, without too much noticing, we’re knee deep in Larry lore. And it’s delightful. Larry talks about his relationship and his wedding and even his diagnoses, all weaved together in a way that sets it apart from other comedians who talk about themselves. Larry’s comedy is observational, but he’s just sharing what he’s observed about himself. Even telling a story about his brush with royalty feels relatable, which is a feat. And I do think it would be right to crown Larry the king of call backs.
Larry has the envious ability to make his material seem both polished and entirely off the cuff. As though these ideas were occurring for the first time in the moment, but the strength of the call backs reveals just how precisely this material is ordered. Plus Larry’s audience interaction, although used sparingly, reminds you that he’s watching us almost as much as we’re watching him. One audience member in white during a story about a wedding was particularly well timed. Another moment saw Larry almost chase someone who couldn’t hold their bladder, adding to a sense of jeopardy and relief when it all worked out well.
If I were to offer any critique, as Larry brings the show to an end, he sums up, rather beautifully and with some poetry, the show’s ethos. It’s the only time Larry’s delivery falters. He seemed a little embarrassed to be making such a wonderful point. And what is the point? Well… you gotta see Larry in action. In fact, if you’re headed to Edinburgh, I’d suggest you be hellbent to see this show.
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