Twenty year-old Rhys Mathewson is taking on the world, one 5.30 am McDonald’s hash brown at a time.

His routine for the Basement Fest 2011 sees Mathewson charm his way through an hour of anecdotes that take us back to the good ol’ days, when singing the New Zealand national anthem, drunk, on a curb in Scotland could have been one of our finer moments. 

The self-confessed “teddy bear” offers a unique, youthful view on trying to get the girl, then failing miserably at getting the girl, thanks in large part to inappropriate shimmying; or an inability to remove his clothing, courtesy of … [gag not revealed]. 

Interaction with this enthusiastic, albeit small audience revealed his impromptu comedic ability, allowing him to jump on and off the train of his planned performance with relative ease. 

Relatively, the youngster’s delivery is indicative of his age and stature, which Mathewson freely admits, is not as up to par as he would like it to be; which could explain his breathlessness, which at times seems over-excitable and rushed. 

If you aren’t likely to enjoy a good opening narrative on the importance of cheese in writing a good comedy ‘bit’, then Rhys Mathewson isn’t for you; but for the under-dog in all of us, a torn penis, resulting in a spur-of-the-moment “I love you” is well worth the night out. 

Oh, and be on time for this one, unless you don’t mind entering centre-stage, have impeccable comedic timing and wouldn’t mind trying your hand at a minute or two of “Thank God You’re Here.” 

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