Having recently been asked to rewrite a comedy review because the artist felt the examples I’d referenced constituted spoilers, I’m feeling extra-wary about mentioning pretty much anything Rhys Mathewson does in his outstanding new show.  The festival programme spiel hints at him taking a new direction, as does the title, and he hits the ground running with his entrance and an opening semi-poetic refrain.

After the initial flamboyance the routine relaxes into a more standard, albeit masterfully constructed standup set.  The exuberance of the capacity late-night crowd is well maintained as Mathewson reflects on a typically broad array of topics, not least the mechanics of standup itself.  Other  areas explored, if it’s not giving too much away, include lottery winners, a mistrust of democracy and the fact that anything you choose to spend your time doing is as pointless as anything else anybody does.

Lamenting that his chosen career has cost him more than it’s earned him so far, at times Rhys expresses thoughts that bear the hallmarks of a mid-life crisis.  Except he’s only twenty-five …a quarter-life crisis?  Nevertheless, or perhaps because of this, he holds himself to a certain standard, refusing on one occasion to accept a round of applause for a gag he himself deemed to be sub-par.

That incident had me reflecting back to his first solo comedy show some years back < https://www.theatreview.org.nz/reviews/review.php?id=2161 >, in which he methodically graded value of his performance in monetary terms.  I suspected at the time he was in this biz for the long haul, and Nouveau Rhys confirms this.

If he’s really struggling financially as much as he claims to be, I have faith that it’s a matter of when not if he comes into his own provided he sticks at it, which I’ve no doubt he will.

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