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Brett Goldstein: The Second Best Night of Your Life
Brett Goldstein, the insanely talented British actor who won two Emmys for his portrayal of Roy Kent on the HBO comedy Ted Lasso, blew me away with his first HBO standup special subtitled The Second Best Night of Your Life.
Full disclosure, Roy Kent was my favorite character on Ted Lasso and every moment he had onscreen was appointment television. However, if someone had told me that he began his career as a stand-up I never would have believed it, but if the truth be told, this was one of the funniest nights of stand up I've had the pleasure of watching in a long, long time.
Shot live from somewhere in New Jersey (which for some reason surprised me), the show began backstage with Goldstein freaking out about going onstage for his first comedy special, but once he hit the stage, this guy had myself and the live audience in his pocket.
In terms of his comic style, it should be mentioned that, in the tradition of comics like Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Maher, and Lewis Black, Goldstein is a superb wordsmith. His writing is rich with the perfect word for every element for any routine he presents. He starts off with some funny remarks about his name and the background information he gives about his parents ended up providing some major laughs.
As he began to expound on his life and career, I was very amused that he was more impressed with visiting Sesame Street than he was visiting The White House. I was also impressed with his thoughts on his ability to get away with much bluer material than most standups because he's doing it with a British accent, which he brought home with his impression of American standups and how they greet their audiences. It was also hard not be on his side when he explained why it is easier for a British comic to use the "C" word.
I was very amused by his thoughts on the "Me Too" movement and everyone involved in it without using any names. He had me on the floor during the middle of this routine when he did an impression of Darth Vader and immediately commented on how terrible the impression was. His solution to the problem was perfection. Also loved the story of an encounter with a neighborhood dog that he was certain kept sounding like he had sex with the dog. My jaw dropped when the subject of Broadway musicals came up and Brett informed us that he prefers musicals to plays. Very impressed with his reveal that Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet was a total rip off of West Side Story. This led to my favorite moment of the evening where he did an impression of the first entrance every lead in a musical makes. Nobody will get this but musical buffs, but it was perfection. For his first comedy special, Goldstein knocked it out of the park.
Brett Goldstein, the insanely talented British actor who won two Emmys for his portrayal of Roy Kent on the HBO comedy Ted Lasso, blew me away with his first HBO standup special subtitled The Second Best Night of Your Life.
Full disclosure, Roy Kent was my favorite character on Ted Lasso and every moment he had onscreen was appointment television. However, if someone had told me that he began his career as a stand-up I never would have believed it, but if the truth be told, this was one of the funniest nights of stand up I've had the pleasure of watching in a long, long time.
Shot live from somewhere in New Jersey (which for some reason surprised me), the show began backstage with Goldstein freaking out about going onstage for his first comedy special, but once he hit the stage, this guy had myself and the live audience in his pocket.
In terms of his comic style, it should be mentioned that, in the tradition of comics like Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Maher, and Lewis Black, Goldstein is a superb wordsmith. His writing is rich with the perfect word for every element for any routine he presents. He starts off with some funny remarks about his name and the background information he gives about his parents ended up providing some major laughs.
As he began to expound on his life and career, I was very amused that he was more impressed with visiting Sesame Street than he was visiting The White House. I was also impressed with his thoughts on his ability to get away with much bluer material than most standups because he's doing it with a British accent, which he brought home with his impression of American standups and how they greet their audiences. It was also hard not be on his side when he explained why it is easier for a British comic to use the "C" word.
I was very amused by his thoughts on the "Me Too" movement and everyone involved in it without using any names. He had me on the floor during the middle of this routine when he did an impression of Darth Vader and immediately commented on how terrible the impression was. His solution to the problem was perfection. Also loved the story of an encounter with a neighborhood dog that he was certain kept sounding like he had sex with the dog. My jaw dropped when the subject of Broadway musicals came up and Brett informed us that he prefers musicals to plays. Very impressed with his reveal that Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet was a total rip off of West Side Story. This led to my favorite moment of the evening where he did an impression of the first entrance every lead in a musical makes. Nobody will get this but musical buffs, but it was perfection. For his first comedy special, Goldstein knocked it out of the park.