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By
Neil Dyson
As
far as warm-up tours go, this has to be one of the best. Mark Thomas
was at the Pegasus Theatre on a mini tour in preperation for a large
tour later in the year, and if this was anything to go on he really
shouldn't be missed.
If
you've seen Mark Thomas on the TV you will know what he is about.
To call him a comedian is to push him into the same bracket as Eddie
Izzard, Phil Jupitus and Bobby Davro, but this doesn't do him justice.
Where some of us occasionally dip a toe into the cold, mysterious
waters of the pool of politics and global issues, Mark Thomas takes
a running, head-first dive into the shallow end and makes you stop
and take notice.
He
started this show with a few stories of what he has been up to recently;
namely running up and down the country throwing confetti at Scottish
MSP's and appearing at various anti-war/US demo's. You get the impression
from him that he really immerses himself in his work, especially
when describing how he 'D-locked' himself to the axel of a van carrying
arms traders, while relying on a group of hippies to stop it driving
off!
After
the interval Mark got his laptop out and flicked through some facts
about his latest 'target', one large cola-flavoured drinks maker
(that comes in red cans). It was here that he got a bit more serious
and you could sense the audience becoming engrossed with the stats
and facts that were told them. Look out for exhibitions and action
in the near future.
You
can't help feeling envious of Mark Thomas. He has been able to create
a life and living around doing something that he is deeply passionate
about and it shows in his work. Just his energy and commitment is
enough to get you thinking deeper for yourself, and is very infectious.
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