Toussaint Douglass simply has funny bones. He also has a pigeon on wheels onstage. Be honest, what more could you want from a comedy show?
The Lewisham-bred comedian picked up an Edinburgh Comedy Award nomination for Best Newcomer at the Fringe in August and now brings his debut Accessible Pigeon Material to Soho. If you enjoy humour that blends freewheeling silliness with an undercurrent of thoughtfulness this is a must-see.
Douglass quickly sets out his stall as a distinctive act, bursting with assured oddball charm. The show's title is a nod to an old Mike 'The Streets' Skinner album Original Pirate Material and also refers to the fact that he claims he is about to deliver an hour of non-stop pigeon gags.
As he embarks on his set I'm not sure if that's a promise or a threat, but nobody leaves as he seeds ideas and themes that will reemerge later. In fact I'm sure I heard audience members cooing with delight.
His material isn’t entirely bird-related of course, but any passing ornithologists will easily be won over. Douglass has a stylish way of juggling idiosyncrasy and proper jokes. It is reminiscent at times of James Acaster and he also shares Acaster's sartorial style, college boy nerd meets hipster, so square he's cool.
The pigeon quips are essentially easter eggs which, when cracked open, reveal autobiographical bullet points. As a child he always stood out – he was the only pupil in his school to carry an attache case and dress like a croupier. He reflects on the dynamic of his relationship, how his partner is "team leader". He wonders why there are so many different types of orange.
As with many full-length stand-up debuts, this is essentially an origin story. About his neurodivergence, about how his Windrush generation grandmother influenced him and how his father expressed his emotions, the latter subject particularly on his mind now that he has become a parent himself.
He is a confident performer, happy to mess with the audience, climbing over seats and giving one fan the remote device that controls his motorised pigeon. At one point he produces a glove puppet boxer which ‘plays’ his dad and interacts with the crowd. Is it comedy? Is it nightly onstage therapy? Either way it is extremely funny.
Above all this is a striking breakthrough. I’ve previously seen him do short club sets and wondered how he’d draw disparate strands together for a longer narrative. He has done that brilliantly here. Accessible Pigeon Material confirms that Douglass’ career is clearly about to take flight.
Until October 4. Tickets and information here: sohotheatre.com
