Skinny Man, Modern World
Sammy J
1 October 2010
The Ballroom, Fringe hub
to 9 October
www.melbournefringe.com.au
Our Sammy's all grown up. With no puppets, fancy sets (or Heath) and a slimming pin-stripe suit, Sammy J shares a reflective hour of sophisticated wit and word play... if you think reflection is fantasising about Alf from Home and Away, sophistication is getting rat-arsed drunk and the words you like playing with include "fingering" and "fucking ugly mermaid".
Sammy J has never been shy of revealing his embarrassing past, and Skinny Man, Modern World is a step towards a style of personal story telling that is going to open him up even more, let us see the man behind the character and make him even more of legend.
Smart as without ever being a smart arse, Sammy J is simply one the best around. I love him in the same way I love Tim Minchin and Daniel Kitson.
I hope he never stops creating shows with Randy and puppeteer Heath McIvor, but I can't wait to see more of this intimate style of show that is just about Sammy and his stories. Some of which are songs, some of which may not be true and one of which is the BEST STORY told this Fringe. I can say no more because I'm blushing from the memory of it. The best comedians are the brave ones, the ones brave enough to pull out those stories that the rest of us would never, ever speak about.
And he's funny. Very, very, very, very funny. Jaw aching from laughing funny. Brain aching from thinking funny. Heart aching from feeling funny.
Skinny Man, Modern World is on until 9 October.
PS: Have I mentioned that the first time I reviewed Sammy J, I was only mildly impressed. I know how wrong I was. Always give performers another go.
This review appears on AussieThearte.com
