Live Comedy: Risky Business with Tom Stade
Huntingdon Hall, Worcester 6th March 2025
The customary ring-dance across the hallowed Huntingdon Hall stage had won the room before Tom Stade, the swaggering Canadian growled into his microphone, opening with all the authority of a brown-enveloped letter from HMRC…
Coincidently, before the evening’s entertainment I had been checking the yearly payments of my state pension; yes, those full years become a preoccupation at a certain age. Stade understands the preoccupations of Gen X because he knows his aging audience nearly as well as his own material.
Tom Stade: “When you all die I won’t have an audience.”
Tom’s shirt remains un-tucked now for obvious reasons and his dark hair is salted with white- as no one can escape the aging process. To help prove his point, audience members are included in the night’s shenanigans. Lonely Boomer Dave is charged with involuntary racism, 50 somethings Keith & Gina’s sex lives are likened to two wounded animals hurting each other and Josh and Helen are just embarking on their young lives.
The visual spectacle of Boomer Dave riding to school on a donkey enacted by the comedian was downright funny and had the room braying.
Fundamentally, Tom Stade needs to connect with his audience. His dissection of the language used by each generation was decimal point accurate. Boomer Dave nodded agreeably when asked if he still likes to “boogie”? The skit involving a text message with his daughter was elucidating to the point of hilarity; the comparison of his letter to his offspring’s coded response was idk 😉 Honestly, the night was totally dope! If you want to communicate with HMRC there is currently a six to eight week call back from HMRC before April 5th. Contrastingly, Tom Stade is totally on point, on trend and on brand…
Stade’s brand of dark comedy may not be all round family entertainment. Moreover, if swearing was a taxable asset Stade would have a hefty bill at the end of the tax year.
The section exploring the mores of British society over the years was as familiar as it was guffaw inducing. The notion that Millennials have invented empathy was underlined when Stade pointed out, if Gina’s dog ahd died Helen would console her. Before stating he and Keith would have just laughed…”and painted some big red lips on the dog.” The timing, imagery and delivery, as ever captured the moment.
Indeed, focusing on the perceived modern phenomena that is Wokeism is a “Risky Business”. With customary cavalier zeal Stade offers up his analysis for all generations. The use of the 70s toy, Mr. Potato Head as an oral prop to dissect identity was as academic as it was riotously funny: the first ever trans toy! Fam, you sus?
Regardless of the size of your pension pot or whether you have an aversion to investing in any risky business, make sure you invest in a night out with Tom Stade, as your guaranteed investment will only rise …no cap!
By: Swilgate Scuttler