Phil Nichol @ LCF

Posted by Blakeborough on Feb 10, 2009 in Features, Leicester Comedy Festival | View Comments

I don’t really know how to even begin to describe Phil Nichol.

So I’ll do the bits I can tell you. Phil is a Canadian comedian/actor/singer who has come to the Leicester Comedy Festival with his ‘Nearly Gay’ tour. Currently sporting a full beard and the ‘Castaway’ look, Phil has more energy than I thought possible and bewitched the YourFace team during the Gilded Balloon launch night, so we immediately booked ourselves in to see his solo show.

‘Nearly Gay’ tells a variety of stories (which I hope are all true!) about how Phil was accused of being homophobic on stage and how he has since over-compensated whenever speaking to gay friends or strangers. With hilarious consequences. He describes a time when his ambiguous sexuality led to him being in a compromising situation with a beautiful transsexual Danielle (formerly Daniel) in order to appear as ‘gay friendly’ as possible; frightened that he would be accused of being a homophobe again. Sadly, it all sounds a bit dry and weighty when I describe it, but when Phil is telling you the story you’re hooked on every single word he says. He doesn’t have punchlines as such; rather he uses a very shrewd knowledge of stereotypes to construct comedic characters that are instantly recognisable to anyone who has ever been on the gay scene.

Phil Nichols is simply brilliant. With a show that could very easily have become quite offensive in the wrong hands, Phil himself is just so hairyly charming that you ca’t help but fall a little in love with him. Phil told an almost 25 minute story about his accidental seduction of a Greek gay called Stavros, in another incident of being so frightened of being a homophobe that he unintentionally romances poor Stavros, which ended in a whince enducing tale of how broke his penis in half inside an overzealous Australian lady.

I’m going to stop now, because this is a show that I can neither describe, nor wish to spoil as I urge everyone who hasn’t seen anything this year at LCF to go and see Phil Nichol.  Sadly, the LCF website seems to tell me that his last show is tonight at the City Rooms. Go! You have time! Go now. Run!  I’ve had “I’m the only gay Eskimo” on a brain loop for nearly a week now. Be a part of it!

PS. Apparently he got naked on The Weakest Link once. Find me a video!