Julian Clary stops show as he says 'I've got to pause' as he shares Paul O'Grady memory

When you think of Julian Clary, cowboys and the Wild West aren't what immediately spring to mind.

Yet that's the theme for the stand up's latest tour, A Fistful of Clary, that enjoyed a stop at Liverpool's Philharmonic Hall last night. Julian Clary looked resplendent as he took to the stage, mic stand glittering under the hall's lights, his wild west themed jacket paired with a daring belt buckle fashioned like steer horns.

His set feels like a good old fashioned variety show, dripping with funny tales, cutting observations, eccentric asides and humorous songs.

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The double entendre come thick and fast, after all, this wouldn't be a Julian Clary show without smutty innuendo being liberally inserted into every joke.

From the off the audience are included, with the star taking aim at some of the fashions on display - one lady wearing horizontal stripes immediately catching his attention.

He then picks out Sam and Natalie in the front row, a 'heterosexual couple' who had managed to sneak into the show. Then Nigel and his friend Emma catch his attention, as he quizzes them about their friendship, before chatting to partners Leonard and Justin about how they met, and their pet dogs.

He tells the audience about a recent gig on a cruise ship, and why he always looks out for the 'rough woman' manning the tills when he pops into M&S.

Not all the jokes land - the tennis-like 'resting' segments are a bit odd - but the comedian's delivery is so delicious, it doesn't matter.

But the tone shifts when he mentions his good friend Paul O'Grady. He tells the audience, "I'm just going to pause a moment", and goes on to share some memories of his dear friend.

He shares that 'Savage' would often call him up, and spend an hour and a half on the phone, starting off with a rant about someone - or something - that had annoyed him, but that the calls would end with laughter.

Then he recalls some of the text messages Paul sent him - including some choice advice for his 60th birthday - and ends the segment with a touching song dedicated to the much-loved entertainer.

As the first half warps up, he explains a bit about the theme. That he's never managed to crack America, and this show is his attempt to prove he could make it in the US.

Then he shared the news that, the second half of his show will see him selecting audience members to join him for his play, The Magnificent Seven and a Half Inches. He ends the first half with a cheeky song, penned by Gary Wilmot, about the joys of a knob of butter.

His outfit for the second half is even louder than the first, bright metallic pink trousers, paired with a western style shirt with tassels that reach the ground. There's nervous giggles as he moves down into the audience to select his 'volunteers'. "Avoiding eye contact will not save you", he jokes, as he instructs the ushers to "lock the doors."

He picks six men at random, quizzing them on stage about their lives. Incredibly two of the men are intensive care doctors, and neither of them know each other. The six are whittled down to four, and they are each assigned parts to play.

Despite the stressful situation they've suddenly found themselves in, Julian puts the four at ease. Chris, Peter, Lee and Nigel are incredibly good sports, and the segment is very funny - Lee stealing the show as the villain of the piece.

Then Julian gives us a rendition of I Did It My Way, with a suitably saucy twist. He leaves the stage to a thunder of applause, and some of the crowd start to leave presuming that the end of the show. But he has one final song for us.

Returning to the stage in his third outfit of the evening, he ends the show on a poignant note. He speaks to the LGBTQ+ community, saying that while things are starting to improve for people here, there are parts of the world where the queer community fear for their lives.

He performs a song saying "It's ok to be gay", it's heartfelt, the sentiment and lyrics incredibly moving, and it earns him a standing ovation as takes his final bow, glitter falling from the lights.

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