Rob Rouse

Crude comedy can be a hazardous business. Comedians run the risk of taking things too far and reaching a point at which their audience, rather than seeing the funny side, begin to wonder what on earth they have just paid to see.

Rob Rouse treads a fine line on this front, often pushing the boat out as far as it will go. There are a number of moments during his act when you can’t help but think that the Englishman is going to overstep the mark. Yet to his credit, this never seems to happen. Rouse always manages to prevent himself from making any fatal mistakes, keeping his act just at the point where it is still funny.

This year’s offering surrounds the last 12 months in the life of the 35 year-old, from the birth of his son to the adoption of a ‘second-hand’ dog. Rouse has a fantastic ability to take largely ordinary events, such as preparing for childbirth, and turn them into hilarious sketches to which the audience can often relate. At the same time, he uses language brilliantly, illustrating his articulate side throughout and resorting to coarser language only when beneficial.

This show is not for the sensitive. Rouse has no fear in taking vividly sexual acts - normally those carried out by his ‘sexually deviant’ dog - and acting them out onstage. However, for those who don’t mind their comedy probing into the world of the borderline obscene, Rouse’s portrayals offer some hilarious moments: he certainly knows how to do crude well.