Review by Tatum Stafford
Nick White’s viral TikTok presence has well and truly put him on the comedy map - and if his sold-out stand-up season here at Adelaide Fringe is anything to go by, he’s definitely made a splash and is here to stay.
Downstairs in the Laugh Lounge, Nick opened his set with one of his most famous online characters, Carly the dull coworker, who I’m sure is painfully relatable to anyone who has ever had an office job with a communal kitchen (guilty).
Carly was a clear crowd favourite, and the set-up was equally as hilarious as the character; she was doing her first ever spot of stand-up comedy, complete with a checklist on how to make the crowd laugh, including crowd work and a cringeworthy joke that took her “months to write”. Carly then dashed off stage to grab Nick for his set.
Nick is a joy to watch and super confident on the mic, chatting to the audience as if we’re friends in his living room. We heard stories about his childhood, his family, his early career in architecture and other anecdotes about his worldview.
It was clear that stories about Nick’s childhood and upbringing were the biggest hit with the audience, and in future iterations of this show I’m sure infusing more of these stories and photos will be well received. A particular shout-out to the story about how he gave himself a black eye in his sleep, and his truly cursed rendition of the America’s Next Top Model opening credits accompanied by screenshots of characters he created in The Sims who were completely bald (you have to see this show to understand this, but I promise it’s well worth it).
The end of the show did feel a little abrupt. Without giving too much away, Nick gets a phone call from Carly offstage and he dashes off after he takes it. Given the show featured Nick so prominently, and Carly only at the beginning, I wonder if a stronger finish on a childhood story would hit a little harder and emphasise the emotional depth that came out in even his most ridiculous stories about his upbringing.
This was a really solid show, and is clearly a hit with audiences. Nick is hilarious and lightning quick, and I’m sure the rest of his Australian shows will be sell-outs too (at time of writing, his Brisbane shows are all completely sold out), so get in quick if you want to see him live in action.
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