Review By Hannah Fredriksson
2019 was a great year for Sam Taunton, having just finished a sell-out run at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, but 2020 is obviously off to a stellar start as he performs his new show ‘Rooster’ in a self-described ‘wooden tent’ at the very back corner of The Woodside Pleasure Garden at Fringe Festival in Perth. He’s on his way up!
The venue was fairly packed tonight, the audience filled the stands with drinks in hand, anticipating a good time. The Sydney lad introduces himself before entering the stage dressed casually in his comfy looking New Balance sneakers, jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt.
Sam’s comedy is incredibly accessible to me, having grown up watching comedians on TV via their own sitcoms, or with segments on Rove Live or The Melbourne Comedy festival. As a teenager I always viewed them as older and more experienced, talking about their marriages and children and mortgages – I knew these things were funny but could not relate to them yet. Sam talks about the inadequate staff at McDonalds and the trials and tribulations of catching public transport. Yes, this is stuff that is more on my level. It’s the mundane day-to-day adventures of being a twenty-something figuring it out in the world. He’s not trying to win the audience over with fancy gimmicks, he just is as he is.
Sam uses a combination of powerpoint and video to top-and-tail the show, and supports some of his stories with humorous imagery.
Sam is very in touch with his reviews, and he leans into some of his more awkward descriptions in a light-hearted display of self-deprecating humour. It’s an interesting feeling reviewing him as one wonders if their comments will end up in a future iteration of the show.
He ends the show with a little trick he learned at a Sydney Swans game, which is sure to capture hearts. This is also when the name of the show starts to make sense.
Sam Taunton has put together a fun set for this run of ‘Rooster’, which is sure to amuse. It’s light-hearted, accessible comedy that is completely inoffensive – unless you are a parking inspector.
Sam will continue his run of 'Rooster' in cities around the country - be sure to check out if he is coming to your hometown soon!
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All opinions and thoughts expressed within reviews on Theatre Travels are those of the writer and not of the company at large.