2013 MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL
REVIEW: JOSH THOMAS IN DOUCHEBAG
VENUE AND DATES: MELBOURNE TOWN HALL, LOWER
TOWN HALL, UNTIL APRIL 21
ASSESSMENT: Thomas’s
minutiae filled routine only mildly diverting.
 |
| Josh Thomas |
STAR RATING:
** AND A HALF.
We are experiencing
the Golden Age of self-confessed nice guy, Josh Thomas.
Seemingly
universally loved, the shaggy-haired, 25-year-old, stand up comedian / media megastar,
can do no wrong in the eyes of broadcasters (ABC 2 has screened his TV show, “Just
Like Me”, and Channel 7 will soon reveal Thomas’s “top secret body” on reality
show, “Celebrity Splash”), or the adoring public that packed the Town Hall on Easter
Sunday.
What’s the
hype about? If this performance provides clues, it’s about 60 minutes of Josh
riffing in his excitable, cutesy-pie, yet static manner (moving only to reach
and drink from his water bottle), about a lot of trivia.
No narrative
arc, no memorable gags to report, or meaningful insights into issues of any
import. Wil Anderson he ain’t.
Only mildly
diverting chatter about circumcision, cavoodles, his boyfriend, his distrust of
anything new-agey (religion, reiki, reflexology), trekking with Hannah Gadsby,
death fantasies (his own or that of his boyfriend), or Iphone misadventures while
looking for a Bangkok massage parlour where he can also receive a hand-job.
Then, Josh auctions
a cake he made (proceeds to UNICEF), and it’s lights down.
We’ve
witnessed Thomas’s undoubted skill at weaving cotton candy-light comedy from the
mundane. Crammed with some of the minutiae and trivialities drawn from Thomas’s
life, ultimately he creates a false intimacy with his audience. While appearing
to invite us into his inner world, he succeeds only in keeping us at arm’s
length. This show should appeal to Thomas’s die-hard fans.
BY: JOE
CALLERI.
NB: REVIEW
ALSO PUBLISHED ON HERALD SUN ONLINE, TUESDAY 02 APRIL, 2013.
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