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MC Hammersmith: Hippity Hoppity Get Off My Property comedy review – Dazzling musical improv skills

The posho hip hop improvisor takes us on a walking tour of his gaff

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MC Hammersmith: Hippity Hoppity Get Off My Property comedy review – Dazzling musical improv skills

MC Hammersmith (real name Will Naameh) is a freestyle improv rapper… but a very middle class one, who went to private school in west London. He fully leans into his posh-boy image, with the premise of this new show a guided walking tour of his Hammersmith Hall mansion.

In each room, he performs a rap based on suggestions from the audience. Some are unhinged and others misspelled; an occupational hazard, but one he handles with incredible skill and quick thinking, even when a guessing game takes longer than planned, making the rest of the set feel rushed. The speed his brain works at is impressive, especially when the prompts are bizarre: you try creating an on-the-spot rap about iridocyclitis.

The walking-tour conceit provides a structure, but it’s a very loose one: scripted jokes told in each room feel repetitive, and the connection between the rooms and the songs is tenuous. But does it matter? The real magic lies in his unbelievably sharp improv skills and fast wit. It proves that MC Hammersmith is one of those rare comedians who has not only gone viral on TikTok, but can carry a full hour-long set.

MC Hammersmith: Hippity Hoppity Get Off My Property, Monkey Barrel, until 24 August, 1.55pm; main picture: EMPIRICAL.

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