Review By Tessa Stickland
Nick White is effortlessly at home on the stand-up stage.
He’s one of those stand-ups that has the audience feeling relaxed and at ease. You’re never worried the joke is gonna flop – so you sit comfy and just wait for the laughs to come. And they do!
White’s topics of discussion aren’t ‘ground breaking’ – but they don’t need to be. His authenticity is relatable, which brings a fresh air to even well trod ground like airplane travel. It's never contrived.
He talks about working in New York, growing up gay in Brisbane, attending a catholic school, being a late bloomer, and more.
I felt at times he was more self deprecating about his jokes than he needed to be. He has a joke about comedians saying “that's just for me” when a joke doesn’t get enough laughs. He takes this idea a little further, observing that other occupations can’t do this. While it’s funny, I can’t help but suspect this is built in so he can have a fallback if he feels a joke doesn’t land.
He uses this a few times throughout the show. But I don’t think it’s necessary because he has the charisma to carry on from any jokes that don’t hit as hard.
However, I know for myself that having a crutch like this can be extremely useful. Especially at a quieter show. I was lucky enough to attend a night that was pretty full, so perhaps that’s why I felt it wasn’t that necessary, because there were enough people in the room to hold the energy even if it dipped a bit for one joke.
Anyway, this bit was just for me.
For all my fellow queer younger millennials out there: there is some Twilight gear at the end. And White is right. It's everyone's favorite film. I’m loving the Twilight renaissance/ reevaluation-as-a-camp-classic era we're in now, because I’m getting more Twilight jokes than ever before. And none of them are mocking young girls in a way that feels hurtful. It fuels me!
One of the difficulties for a stand-up (or any solo act) is staying hydrated during the show.
They've only got a few options:
Wait/hope for a big/long enough laugh that they can take a sip without disrupting their flow.
Take a sip and disrupt the flow. Make it awkward.
Embrace the awkward and make it a bit.
White chooses this third option, pulling a little face and cheekily glancing out at the audience.
It's a small thing, but it keeps up the energy.
If you're looking to see some stand-up this MICF, I don't think you'll go wrong with Nick White. There's a cozy sort of feeling to his work. Like a conversation in a pub with an old friend you haven't seen for years. It's just nice, ya know?
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