In the age of TV-enabled apathy, Jason Henderson brings us a unique, music filled, window into the life and mind of a TV addict. There’s Nothing on TV explores the relationship between a man, his goldfish, and his bigscreen TV.

Sitting in an armchair amidst a cluttered mass of TV guides, food containers and other such typical debris of bachelor life, Henderson’s performance follows a simple formula: sing a song, deliver a few lines of dialogue to lead into the next song, and repeat ad nauseam.

The songs, accompanied by musical director Fiona McCabe on piano, are well selected, performed, and sometimes rewritten. Unfortunately, they are robbed of much of their impact by a lack of plot, character development or variation in staging choices. Eventually the cycle becomes monotonous and the songs seem to run together before the show abruptly, and without any sense of resolution or finality, ends.

The short interludes between the songs are a tragically wasted opportunity. They could easily be used to provide character insight or develop some kind of story arc to make the sentimental, even wistful musical performances seem much more meaningful. Instead they are relegated to being rushed segues with the occasional throwaway joke or pop culture reference thrown in.

That being said, there are definitely still some moments that shine. Of particular note are Henderson’s interactions with his goldfish, Fred. It is not often I find myself wishing a goldfish was a more predominant character, but as we learn about Fred’s love of Dancing with the Stars and see him shielded from televisions more corrupting images with a pillow, both the quirky charm and melancholy undertones of Henderson’s character are brought out brilliantly.

During one of the songs, Henderson even picks up and dances with Fred’s bowl, and in doing so demonstrates his considerable talent as a physical performer. While this is an undeniable highlight, it also makes Henderson’s decision to spend most of the show singing from an armchair that much more puzzling. 

With brief spurts of quality that promise a truly fantastic show, could they only be maintained, There’s Nothing on TV is still and enjoyable collection of musical vignettes that is charming and fun but ultimately forgettable.

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There may be nothing on TV but there is something in Jason Henderson; and that is one wonderful voice.  There’s Nothing on TV is one of Jason’s THREE one man shows in the New Zealand Fringe festival this year, and is worthy of the decision to swap Netflix for theatre tix.

Surrounded by a squabble of set that comprises of a lazy boy, chip packets, old TV guides and lotto tickets, underneath the warm glow of your classic living room lamp, Jason comfortably croons tunes about big screens, big dreams and “stuff”. He is accompanied by Musical Director Fiona McCabe who, under a single light on the grand piano, make the songs float into the audience as beautifully and warmly as the lazy boy chair that Jason sang them from. 

Opening with ‘The Circle of Life’ from The Lion King and going from original songs to the classics, each number suits Jason’s voice and the concept, with clever lyrics and playing on words being the highlight.  The stand out for me is ‘Downton’ – a wonderful new take on Petula Clark’s 60’s ditty about everyone’s favourite British household. In this showy and funny number Jason moves around with presence and style, something I would love to see more of throughout the show.

When he makes use of the space and touches the array of clutter you would expect to see in the living room of someone who’s diary is the TV Guide, it is great. I feel it could add another dimension to the performance if he highlighted the clever original songs with some clever choreography and used the space and props more throughout the whole show.

There are undertones of the themes of loneliness (apart from Fred, the Goldfish, who loves Dancing with the Stars but isn’t allowed to watch The Bachelor) and not being able to trust the media. A few lines link to each song as Jason changes channels, but for me they’re not enough to establish a real character history; I am left asking “but why?” The songs start and end like a concert, rather than flowing and building from one to another like a story, and the journey and character growth, or change from one channel or idea to another, isn’t clear.  

As a performer, Jason shows depth, but the story itself doesn’t, and whilst I trust and feel safe with his trained and skilled performance, I would love to see him play a bit more unsafe: take risks to add more texture and range in his comedic choices. 

There’s Nothing on TV is a juicy delight that makes you smile and tilt your head to one side as Fiona McCabe and Jason Henderson take you through a TV guide via the comfy couch of cabaret.  Jason is a charismatic talent who, I’m sure, like a good TV series, is going to get better and better every season. 

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