14-30 August 2026
60 minutes
Hoots @ The Apex
Age 16+
Harry Stachini’s new show title Lobster is a charming reference to growing pains, no matter what stage of life you’re at, and the large tattoo he has on his arm of the crustacean, which is a bit of an in-joke between him and his mum, about exactly that.
It’s the first glimpse of the sparks of emotional intelligence that break through in the show. He talks about his partner and his father, and his life on cruise ships with genuine warmth, while riffing on some solid anecdotes that keep the audience laughing, and his crowd work is gentle and funny, rather than tormenting.
Sometimes the show leaps back as if in time to a 1970s format of gendered and triggering type jokes that can take the audience out of the moment, but he moves swiftly past them, hopefully realising that he’s much funnier without the crass, and that he doesn’t need that kind of support structure to keep the show moving.Â
Stachini’s genuine affection for the audience shine’s through, and on the night Irresistible was there, half the room was taken up with a massive work outing – nearly 30 people working from an insurance company packed out the room and were having a much better time that most people have to endure at team building exercises.Â
Stachini is also clearly having a good time up on stage, and from his social media, he’s having quite a laugh on the high seas in his regular gigs as well. He’s a gentle, easy and naturally very funny presence, that we suspect will get sharper with age as he lets more and more of his natural intelligence to the fore. Much like one of his lobsters.Â
