Excel Comedy And Mathem-antics comedy review: Nostalgic and vulnerable
David Benaim’s spreadsheet-themed stand-up set features punchy one-liners and throwbacks, even if the material is built for a tech-obsessed niche
Is Microsoft Excel funny? David Benaim thinks so. The maths savant and accountant turned YouTube tutor and stand-up has made it his business to combine tips and facts on managing spreadsheets with dick jokes, along with a healthy smattering of confessional content. He has the kind of affectless delivery that you might expect of a man who’s spent much of his life immersed in charts and graphs, but appears so relaxed in his own skin that it doesn’t detract from the vibe in the room.
You may not find Excel particularly funny, even though the 90s are fully back and, like Benaim, we all enjoy that Kelly Rowland music video where she tries to use Excel to text Nelly. But there are some fun one-liners (‘he was #NUM! and I was #NUMMER!’, Benaim complains of a loveless relationship) and some diverting facts on offer: like how certain human genomes have been renamed to fit the date format that Excel kept turning their real names into. You may be less fussed about the tips and tricks that are presented in earnest throughout, but the letters to 14-year-old David and Alan Turing round things off with a dose of sweet vulnerability.
Excel Comedy And Mathem-antics, Just The Tonic Caves, until 30 August, 4.40pm; Just The Tonic Nucleus, until 29 August, 10pm.