Alternative comedy veteran Seymour Mace lays out his new show with what seems like a few intentions. Part interactive game show, part positive reflection on imagination and aging, and part surreal anti-comedy, Seymour Mace Does Things With Stuff is a collection of ideas which are either haphazard or made-to-seem-so.
An explicit disdain of ‘openers’ sets the tone for an hour of wacky, oddball prop comedy, while Mace is confidently unconfident in ambling around the stage and letting the encouraging audience react as they will. This often works, as he revels in the awkwardness that forces the crowd to engage. The interactive bits raise some pleasant enough moments of collective fun, while their sparseness feels like a missed opportunity.
Mace rejects perfectionism while looking to inspire his mixed-age crowd to embrace creativity without worrying about productivity or profit. If he reels back on some adult content, he might have a great child-friendly show. If he was to up the ante, he could have a strong adult game show. Instead, he shuffles through various bits and pieces that do a decent job of managing the room without giving anything overly notable to shout about. The premise is sincere and fits its afternoon slot, with one or two impressive props, however its intentional lack of structure prevents it from elevating further.
Seymour Mace Does Things With Stuff, The Stand Comedy Club 2, until 24 Aug (not 4, 11), 12.45pm