Pierre Novellie's new show, 'You Sit There, I’ll Stand Here', at Soho Theatre in London, proves that observational comedy still has plenty of life. Despite his own protests that modern life offers fewer shared reference points, Novellie opens with universally relatable topics: middle age and moving to the suburbs. His clever and funny takes on these themes, along with familiar tropes like dishwasher stacking and fears of becoming a 'crusty old colonel', quickly engage the audience.
Novellie, a South African-born British comedian, showcases his strength as a writer with dazzling one-liners such as 'I played rugby at school the same way that horses fought in the war.' While his delivery can be stiff and his show formally conventional, the quality of his routines in the second half is undeniable. A grumpy riff on airport dress codes and Winnie the Pooh's wardrobe is amusing, but it pales next to a masterful routine about a game of chicken with hotel cleaners in Melbourne.
That routine is a mini-masterpiece of absurd extension, applied to an eco-friendly laundry policy. The show concludes with a mock-epic shaggy dog story about Novellie's house move, where he lumbers across London with six tote bags of bleeding beef strung from his neck. This hapless misadventure recalls comedians like Rhod Gilbert and Ian Smith, though Novellie is not as expansive a personality on stage. There are hints that his curmudgeonly persona may be more than a caricature.
Yet, particularly in the climactic set piece, Novellie shows that his range of expression, though narrow, remains potent. His wrung-out thousand-yard stare as he greets removal men with 'I’m not the man they left behind' is a standout moment. If this is observational comedy in 2026, there is clearly still life in the old dog.
