Celebrity power couple, influencers and entrepreneurs, Vogue Williams and Spencer Matthews, have brought their popular self-titled podcast to the stage.
The hit podcast invites listeners to be a fly on the wall to the duo's marriage, as they chat about what's been going on in their lives, with copious amounts of slagging and bickering between the pair.
As someone who has never listened to the podcast, I was going into the live show at Dublin's 3Olympia Theatre completely openminded, with fresh ears and eyes.
Acknowledging that this was only their third time ever to perform the show, the pair certainly have potential but need to dig deeper into their lives to really find the material needed for a consistently funny and less disjointed set.
It took about 15 mins for Williams and Matthews to relax into being on stage, with the early banter feeling quite rehearsed and unnatural – it’s tricky to make pre-prepared material sound spontaneous - and I hadn’t high hopes for what the next 90 minutes would bring.
But once settled in, there were gems of stories in the show that really brought the house down.
A running theme throughout is the pair acknowledging their wealth and privilege, and they cleverly poke fun at themselves, especially Matthews. This, as well as Vogue’s self-deprecation of her influencer "collabs" work well, but the joke is played for laughs one too many times.
By far the best moments come from when the pair lift the curtain on incidents that pertain to their very unique, A-list life that few of us are privy to.
Vogue describing Spencer’s embarrassing Instagram DMs to Lewis Capaldi has a superb pay-off, and Spencer’s long-winded but brilliantly-told story about being live on Good Morning Britain as a showbiz reporter, with 'open comms’ in his ears completely throwing him off, is hilarious.
Matthews showcases his talent for storytelling throughout the show, and a quippy impersonation of Williams’ mother on holiday draws one of the night’s biggest laughs, as does a retelling of his "selfish" marriage proposal to Williams, who was in the throes of morning sickness at the time, backstage at the stage show of The Lion King.
There were touching moments – the pair described their first meeting as part of reality TV show The Jump, with Matthews knowing immediately that he had met his future wife. They also show footage of their first time on camera together.
There’s too much filler throughout – a photo montage of dodgy fashion moments falls flat, and a music break where they make themselves cocktails at the bar feels awkward. Matthew’s physical comedy riff about intercourse with a horse was crude and unnecessary.
Williams is naturally funny but, while Matthews acknowledges his over-abundance of confidence, she needs to work on hers, which will likely come in time as the pair develop the show and get more air miles under their belts.
This week marked their first time as a live onstage duo and while the show needs more analysis, it’s clear why their podcast enjoys such success.
However, with the pair announcing further Irish dates as well as a UK tour, they must mine their own lives more deeply to find the comedy gold that's undoubtedly there, and that their loyal fans deserve.
Next year, Spencer and Vogue LIVE! will be at Cork Opera House on 1 March, Belfast’s Waterfront Hall on 8 March and Dublin’s Gaiety Theatre on 27 and 28 March.
Tickets go on sale at 10am Friday 29 September via Ticketmaster.
