Tim Minchin and The Heritage Orchestra - Live at The Royal Albert Hall [DVD]

Tim Minchin is a genius and this DVD is among his greats, the Tin the DVD and Tshirt come is also very nice and of good quality.

The only bad thing i can say is that when i bought the 'special edition' i was expecting something 'special'.
I feel the t shirt is a real let down, it is just a plain black t shirt with very dark writing on the back, which can hardly be seen unless looking close. The only other detail is the initials 'TM' on the sleeve. I expected more when paying the extra for the special edition version.

Don't get me wrong, the DVD is fantastic, and the tin it comes in is also very smart, i just feel that the t shirt doesn't do justice to the extra money paid.

Despite the Blu-ray's similar cover art to the accompanying album (which I've also reviewed), they are different shows. Although from the same tour, the latter contains just the songs from a gig at the Manchester Arena whereas this is a complete concert at the Royal Albert Hall, recorded in April 2011.

The bonus here is that you also get to see Tim Minchin perform his unique style of stand-up in between the compositions. He tackles subjects that would cause other comedians to draw a line; however, he does it in an intelligent way that not only makes you laugh but also gives you food for thought afterwards.

Minchin employs his expletives creatively and none more so than in his f-word-laden "Pope Song", which (once you get past the opening tirade) makes a serious point about scandal within the Catholic Church. He indicates within its lyrics that there is a correlation between the amount of bad language and the anger he felt.

The Heritage Orchestra provides Minchin with the perfect platform for his virtuoso piano skills, particularly during his epic show-closer, "Dark Side". It allows him to play the instrument more freely instead of it being just his backing accompaniment and new arrangements enhance some of his older material.

From the start it's plain that the audience didn't quite know what to expect and initially seem a bit bemused at the unusual combination of taboo wordplay and dazzling musicality. At first there is polite applause but by the second half Minchin's won them over. They dance in the aisles, give him a standing ovation and during his final encore, the poignant "White Wine in the Sun", even applaud individual lines.

Through his undoubted talent and love of his craft, Tim Minchin has shown himself to be a musical comedy genius. This Blu-ray is a memento of a great night out and I wish I'd been there. The picture is first-rate; sound is DTS-HD 5.1 (select it from the menu beforehand, otherwise it defaults to 2.0 stereo). Bonus features include a couple of rehearsal featurettes and the animated version of Minchin's brilliant ten-minute beat poem, "Storm".

Since I pre-ordered this, it arrived today on the release date as expected. The DVD comes together with a very cool T-shirt, amongst other extras, in a fantastic presentation tin.

As usual, Tim is at his musically comedic best and the orchestra only add to the sheer awesomeness of this fantastic show. The show includes some tried and tested favourites such as 'Darkside', 'If I Didn't Have You' and 'Rock N Roll Nerd', along with a host of soon-to-be-favourites including 'Lullaby', 'The Fence' and 'Cont'.

Filmed at The Royal Albert Hall on the same day as the Royal wedding, the two (or was it 3?) standing ovations Tim received should tell you how well this show went down with the crowd. A combination of great stand-up, awesome songs and a stunning (not to mention perfect) orchestra, make this a superb addition to any Minchin fans collection. And if you're new to the wonder that is Tim Minchin, well where have you been? With an abundance of insight, satire and swearing this is definitely NOT for the easily offended. But if you're able to take life with a pinch of salt, and like your comedy slightly on the dark side, then you've come to the right place, coz Tim definitely has a darkside too...

Enjoy!