Venue: Smock Alley Theatre, Main Space
Time: 8:45pm
Reviewed by: Timi Tenczler
Edited by: Kaitlyn Smith
Rating: ★★★★☆ 4/5
John Spillane
The show opened with an infectious burst of energy, immediately drawing the audience into its playful, chaotic atmosphere. There is no doubt that the performer has charisma. He is confident on stage, quick to engage with the room and clearly enjoys interacting with his audience. That connection became one of the most enjoyable aspects of the evening.
Much of the performance was built around audience participation, with people being brought into the action and encouraged to move around, respond and play along. There were some genuinely funny moments, particularly when the audience embraced the silliness of it all. The room seemed very willing to participate, which helped create a lively and good-humoured atmosphere.
At times, however, the central idea was stretched further than the material could support. Once the initial surprise of the audience interaction wore off, some of the routines began to feel repetitive. There were several moments when it seemed as though an unexpected joke or twist might follow, but instead the routine continued along a similar path.
Given the show’s connection to Borat, there also seemed to be an opportunity to lean further into that world. The audience clearly knew the character and readily responded with familiar Borat phrases, creating plenty of opportunities for playful callbacks. A little more of that distinctive humour, combined with stronger standalone material, could have given the performance greater variety.
The strongest moments came when the performer allowed more of his own comedic personality to come through. The later, more spontaneous jokes felt particularly natural and suggested a performer with plenty of comic potential beyond the audience interaction itself.
The closing section was less successful and felt somewhat prolonged before eventually reaching its conclusion. A tighter ending might have left the audience with more of the energy that was so effective at the beginning.
Overall, this was a lively and personable performance from someone who clearly knows how to work a room. What was sometimes lacking in content was made up for by charisma, enthusiasm and a genuine willingness to involve the audience. With more varied material and further development of the strongest comedic ideas, that natural stage presence could become the foundation of a much richer show.
