SIGHT GAGS, FLAIR FOR WORDS AND GENUINE HUMAN WARMTH

Richard Meros is a man who requires little introduction; that is, if you already know who he is. For those not yet acquainted with Wellington theatre's most beguiling phenomenon, some kind of primer is clearly necessary. But how to describe him? Gonzo pundit? Cod philosopher? Idiot-savant? Perhaps it's sufficient to say that Richard Meros is one of the most intelligent and entertaining figures in the often-underwhelming world of home-grown New Zealand satire. This is all the more remarkable given that Richard Meros – unlike Jon Bridges and Jeremy Corbett – is a (mostly) fictional character. Originally the creation of writer Murdoch Stevens, Meros was first brought to the stage by Arthur Meekand Geoff Pinfield in 2008, in the one-man show entitled On the Conditions and Possibilities of Helen Clark Taking Me As Her Young Lover. Four years on, Meek – who has succeeded brilliantly in making the character of Meros his own – has reprised the role and triumphantly returned to the stage in Richard Meros Salutes theSouthern Man.

Like OTCAPOHCTMAHYL, Meros's new project takes the form of a lecture – it might be more accurate to say a diatribe – delivered over an hour with the aid of power-point slides and a few selected props. It is a format to which Meek and Pinfield are clearly inured, and they carry off the visual gags with pitch-perfect humour and near-flawless comic timing. [More]   
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