Royal Court Liverpool: Jigsy

Welcome to the first online show recorded at Liverpool's Royal Court.

The theatre, like all others, has been unable to put any shows on stage since mid-March. They wanted to produce something for their audience so were delighted when Les Dennis offered to come in to record Tony Staveacre’s one man show about an aging Liverpool comic.

The show was originally performed at the Royal Court in 2012 following a successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It was loved by audiences and critics, picking up excellent reviews across the board:

“A thoroughly compelling performance” 9/10 Liverpool Echo
“Funny, thought-provoking, unmistakably Liverpudlian” FIVE STARS Liverpool Daily Post
“Captures the life of a comic in all its glory, mundanity and misery” Seven Streets

Lurching unsteadily off-stage at a Liverpool working men’s club - sweat, smoke and failure clinging to his faded 70s dinner suit - Jigsy is a journeyman variety comedian, struggling for survival in a modern world that has left him far behind. The bright lights of tv fame that transformed the careers of many of his contemporaries are flickering on a distant horizon. Talking directly to the audience, Jigsy reviews his life, the ups and downs, mostly the latter. Jigsy is a one-man play that gives a glimpse into the earthy heartland of Northern comedy, and also connects with the social history of Liverpool, the spirit of Scouse, and the meaning of life. It’s a struggle, and then you die. ‘Still you have to laugh, don’t you?’