In the past I have been to the Leicester Square Theatre or its predecessor, The Venue, to see a comedy play.  Although there are still a few short running shows like Stickman, the children’s musical by Julia Donaldson, you are more likely to go there to see twice nightly stand up and comic shows.  Many famous TV names are there on one or two nights, the most famous of whom is Ricky Gervais. 

You know that you are in a theatre that sells lots of beer as your rubber soles and heels of your shoes are glued to the carpet under foot and make a sucking noise as you attempt to lift them free. 

Clinton Baptiste is a creation of Alex Lowe who in a divine full length blonde wig and the diamanté dress sense of the late Liberace becomes the psychic, clairvoyant and medium, Clinton Baptiste.  He was a part of Peter Kay’s Phoenix Nights and also known as Barry from Watford.  

In this show, he specialises in picking on members of the audience, getting their first name wrong, exploring other first names until he eventually gets them to tell him what it is.  At that point he says, “Yes, of course ….. Kevin!”  Having firmly established his charlatan credentials, he then proceeds to get a spiritualist message revealing some crude, bogus, sexual secret about his victim.  I loved his qualification from the University of the Third Eye!

Of course this all is very well received by the audience for whom the filthier, the better!  A curious vocal effect is that Clinton switches from a manly baritone speaking voice to a squeaky squeal mid sentence.  This high pitched voice has been described as “a piglet in a meat grinder.”  It’s enough to turn you vegan!

I was getting a bit jaded by Clinton’s sexual one liners and so was relieved to find that Ramone was a real person and not one of Clinton Baptiste’s alternative personae.  Ramone makes a relatively late entrance, wearing a Lisa Minelli bobbed wig but I much preferred his entrance after the interval in the full Brian May!  He is described as the love child of Lisa Minelli and Pete Burns. 

Ramone is Scottish comedian and actor Lewis MacLeod and Clinton Baptiste’s nemesis.  MacLeod has good experience at other folks’ voices and his Terry Wogan impression had me totally convinced!  There is Olympic style ribbon twirling, I can’t remember why?  And Star Wars adventure until they both channel Bruce Forsythe and his fist to forehead stance. 

It is the opposites of the characters that causes the friction, and humour between Clinton and Ramone. The first half is the interaction between the two and the audience, the second between themselves including short take offs of well known people together with mock fights involving blow-up props. The stage is simple, the lighting effective.

As with any stand-up comedy act, its success, or otherwise, involves audience involvement in the jokes. The show was well attended and the audience enjoyed it.  Clinton Baptiste vs Ramone continues to tour until early December.