Lenny Henry’s latest stand-up show, “Still at Large,” offers a nostalgic journey through his most beloved material, delighting audiences with familiar jokes and cherished memories. The comedian, returning to touring after a significant hiatus, treads well-worn but still cherished ground, exploring themes of his Jamaican heritage, his iconic role in “Tiswas,” and his enduring connection to his hometown of Dudley.
While Henry admits to generally shying away from reality television, he recounts a surprising exception for “Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters,” revealing a pragmatic motivation: funding home renovations. This anecdote initially leaves the audience pondering the specific purpose of “Still at Large.” The first half of the show features a blend of new material and revisited classics. For instance, his humorous take on his family’s initial encounters with Black Country signage upon their arrival from Jamaica, a bit first shared in his 1989 special “Live and Unleashed,” is brought back to life. He recalls his father’s humorous declaration that “the queen has set aside some land for me already.”
The tour runs until November 3rd.
Lenny Henry: Still at Large review – comic brings back greatest hits for a victory lap
Dudley Town Hall
With bits about Prince, Tiswas, his Jamaican family and his long career, the standup treads familiar ground and the home-town crowd love it. In this new standup show – his first tour since 2010 – Lenny Henry says he generally turns down reality TV offers. He said yes to Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters (no, me neither) because he wanted to pay for an extension. At first one wonders what home improvements Still at Large might be funding: it is difficult to get a handle on its purpose. In a first half of pure standup, there is some new material but also old ground being re-trodden. He does a bit about his family discovering the signs for the Black Country when they arrived from Jamaica; many first heard the joke in 1989 in Live and Unleashed, when he told us that his father declared, “the queen has set aside some land for me already.”