TONY HINCHCLIFFE | London, Soho Theatre

Tony Hinchcliffe, staff writer on Comedy Central Roasts (his roast of Snoop Dogg has 1.8 million views on YouTube) and seasoned stand-up comedian, is adept at balancing the blasé and the mercurial. His one-hour stand-up show at Soho Theatre packs a politically incorrect punch, as he navigates taboo terrains such as sexual harassment, obesity, misogyny and — naturally — blowjobs.

Hinchcliffe’s brand is confrontational and deadpan, reveling in vividly described rudeness. He is an expert story-teller, exploiting his craft at the service of crass dick jokes and gay jokes and fat jokes and harassment jokes. He defends Kevin Spacey against charges of abuse, distinguishes between “thick” and “fat” women, equates gay men to chiseled cheekbones and assumes, to a roomful of guys in Soho no less, that only women give blowjobs.

That’s terrible, but this is comedy and his jokes are, frankly, hilarious. They are the mean manifestations of everyman’s id, and Hinchcliffe quietly but gleefully rolls them out one by one, pausing occasionally to recalibrate his inner sniper. And despite all the vulgarity, Hinchcliffe’s stories are clever and well-crafted, combining insight and insult through wit, repetition, imagery and audience interaction.

Hinchcliffe doesn’t aim to cater to everyone or subvert expectations for the purposes of satire. He’s that unexpectedly profound inner voice we all know, the one that speaks its mind by giving the finger to humanity.

Watch Tony at the Soho Theatre until February 23rd.

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