Emmy award-winning actor Brett Goldstein visited the Wang Theatre in Boston Oct. 13-15, the second stop on his stand-up comedy tour “The Second Best Night Of Your Life.”
Goldstein, who is best known for his role as Roy Kent in the hit Apple TV series “Ted Lasso,” performed four shows over the weekend, all of which were sold out.
I attended the first show of the Boston leg, after watching “Ted Lasso” for the first time this summer and becoming enthralled with Goldstein’s grumpy, closed-off character, who I think was the funniest of the show.
The Wang Theatre was a stunning and extravagant venue, with beautiful scenes painted on the walls, statues adorning the sides of the theater and tiny details meticulously carved into the walls and ceilings. The 95-year-old theater, in all its glorious beauty, seemed like an unusual venue for a stand-up comedy show.
Dedham, Massachusetts, native Brian Gallivan opened the show, setting the tone for a humorous evening. Gallivan’s local ties made him more relatable, and some of his jokes really hit home for the crowd, like his reference to his parents’ obsession with the quality of care at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Gallivan’s set largely centered around growing up and coming out as gay, and he also told stories about some of the most embarrassing moments of his life, which really made the audience laugh.
After Gallivan wrapped up, Goldstein took the stage to raucous applause and performed for about an hour. Goldstein mentioned it was his first time visiting Boston and that it felt vaguely similar to living in London, thanks to Bostonians’ fiery, standoffish attitudes.
Goldstein acknowledged that the popularity of “Ted Lasso” has changed his life. While he has been performing stand-up for more than a decade, the famed show has gained him a large following and helped him become more well-known in the U.S.
It was clear that most of the audience were fans of the show, as Goldstein was met with roaring cheers whenever he mentioned it, and a few were wearing “Ted Lasso” merch, including a woman in front of me who was sporting a Roy Kent jersey.
However, if you’re attending “The Second Best Night Of Your Life” expecting a Roy Kent show, you will be sorely disappointed. Goldstein only briefly mentioned “Ted Lasso” a few times, and his onstage persona is much more upbeat than his character in the show.
He broke out into song a couple of times, including once where he quipped that love songs are entirely inaccurate and a more realistic version would go “something like this.” Much of his set revolved around relationships and sexual content. Goldstein spoke about his disinterest in ever getting married and how it’s probably best if he doesn’t have kids, because if he did, he would still love his “Sesame Street” debut more than the birth of his child.
Goldstein spoke very highly of his involvement with “Sesame Street” and “The Muppets,” saying how much he treasured those experiences and loved getting to be a part of them.
One of the best parts of Goldstein’s show was that after his regular set, he answered questions from fans. A bin was left out in the lobby where attendees could write down a question, and Goldstein answered around 10 questions from the bin before exiting the stage for the night.
The Q&A was an opportunity for Goldstein to be a bit more off-script, and it really made for funny and intimate moments between him and the crowd. Doing this in each city makes the show feel a bit more personalized.
Overall, Goldstein delivered an hour of heartfelt, funny stand-up that was met with delighted reactions from the crowd. Fans are eager to see what Goldstein will do next now that “Ted Lasso” has officially wrapped. For now, he will be taking his “The Second Best Night Of Your Life” tour around the country through January.
