Josh Berry: Work in Progress: Peter Pizzeria, Leicester, 2020
Josh Berry: Work In Progress: 2Northdown, London, 2021
I had heard a lot about how good a comic impersonator Josh Berry was, and I went along to see him for the first time at the Leicester Comedy Festival in February 2020. He did not disappoint.
Berry’s impersonations were wide ranging, extremely accurate and hysterically funny. He began the set as comedian James Acaster with all the mannerisms and immaculate voice and then did a sketch describing the range of the Scottish accent incorporating Andy Murray, Iain Stirling, Billy Connolly and Frankie Boyle to demonstrate this. The sketch was inspired and very amusing. Others followed including Prince Harry, Dara O’Braian and Josh Widdicombe with talented Berry providing a very entertaining hour of work in progress that made me want him again.
This happened in August 2021 when I went to see more work-in-progress at 2Northdown as part of the Camden Fringe. The new material was being prepared for a national tour and the first half of the show involved the great impressions (Andy Murray, Russell Brand, Boris Johnson and more) as he talked about upbringing, education, and class. Before the first half finished, he spotted me laughing in the second row and very kindly dedicated the half to me. At the interval, he gave out fake business cards to any members of the audience who wanted them and for the second half of the show, he was transformed into his character Rafe Hubris (BA HONS), a Conservative Party adviser during the Coronavirus pandemic. The character was a brilliant send-up and loved by the audience.
The hard-working Berry is a very likeable performer with a huge comic talent, deserves every success and is highly recommended.