WEBLINKS
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 |  | Review by Faye Claridge, web producer
On 23 February, the Royal Shakespeare Theatre audience welcomed Bill Bailey onto the stage enthusiastically, like a favourite old friend, and laughed heartily throughout the whole gig.
Bill Bailey certainly has a professional and assured style, seasoned through years of touring and television work. It was enjoyable to see a performer so at ease on stage, as his confidence lent the whole gig a slick feel.
 Composing George W Bush's drivelling sound-bites into a drum 'n' bass song...worked brilliantly as the perfect combination of ridicule, critique and silly humour.
 | 听 | Faye Claridge
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Even the heckler's contributions were woven in seamlessly, to great effect, making this the first time I've ever seriously questioned whether a heckler might be a plant.
This professionalism could be a downfall, though, as his happy mutterings lacked an edge and a sense of risk-taking in all but a couple of his themes.
The notable exceptions were his rants about overnight celebrities and the current situation with Iraq. These both reached levels of passion and relevance the other material fell slightly short of.
Composing George W Bush's drivelling sound-bites into a drum 'n' bass song, for example, worked brilliantly as the perfect combination of ridicule, critique and silly humour.
| 听 |  | Bill Bailey, chatting happily to the audience
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I was very surprised, however, to recognise a fair chunk of the night's material. It was the first time I'd seen Bill Bailey live and I wouldn't describe myself as an avid fan, yet through old videos and catching him on television in programmes like Room 101, I have seen some of the exact same jokes and songs he performed in Stratford.
This is very shocking when you're watching someone as respected - and as talented - as Bill Bailey. The man is funny, he sees every detail of the world with a unusual humour, so why is he using old material?
The audience were groaning with laughter, either not aware of the age of the material or happy to hear their favourite parts again. However, some of the show - even parts I hadn't heard before - did feel slightly dated. References to Steven Hawkin's A Brief History of Time and T'Pau, for example, slightly belied the 2003 date of the tour.
Week with Laughter
Stratford's Week with Laughter season features top acts Mark Thomas, Rhona Cameron, Ed Byrne, Richard Herring, Ross Noble, Daniel Kitson and The Comedy Store Players appearing at The Swan.
Find out more about the shows by following the RSC's Comedy Season link on the left.
For booking and ticket details, please follow the link on the left to the RSC's Week With Laughter website.
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