Alexander Sparrow returns titular character Enigma to the stage with a spectacular social skills workshop. Conceived originally for Sparrow’s showcase of five international PUAs (Pick Up Artists) in How To Pick Up Women, the exuberant Enigma has struck out on his own. Now a full blown CPA (Coitus Positive Activist), he is here to help others – guys and future ex-girlfriends alike – unleash their inner hero.

In performance and persona, I have to describe Enigma as enthralling as he struts the stage revealing to us the techniques available to aspiring PUAs. Peacocking, preselection and negging are of particular note but are not the only insights provided. Given the nature of Enigma’s discipline, the subject matter is surprisingly well handled. Sparrow develops the narrative with a great deal of awareness that helps to inform the humour – often by dramatically thwarting the expectations being cultivated.  

Peacocked resplendently himself, and with complementary lock-in props, Sparrow’s ability as a character actor is impressive. The gleeful response to Enigma’s energy and flirtations is infectious. Sparrow’s humour works on a number of levels, capitalising masterfully on innuendo and nuance of physicality. It isn’t long before the shrieks and giggles that are so commented on in reviews of his work begin to spill forth.

Spontaneity generously spices the scripted material prepared, and makes for some of the most memorable laughs of the night. It is a generous performance, demonstrating a practised knack at gauging the audience and adeptly pushing boundaries – an ability that has likely been developed in the turbulent crucible of Sparrow’s time as a Trump impersonator.  

While building our heroic selves, Enigma defies his name as personal insights and revelations unfold in glimpses, drawing attention to a number of blind-spots to add depth to the character. This said, several tropes emergent in Sparrow’s menagerie of characters can be pointed to; an underlying personal dysfunction laden with sexual themes. Claimed niche or not, Sparrow explores these well and Enigma is certainly a fantastically entertaining experience.

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He declared himself to be New Zealand’s sexiest comedian in 2013, with ALEXANDER SPARROW: Narcissistic Diva, and followed up the year after with How To Pick Up Women, It was Supposed to be a Joke and De Sade. Now Alexander Sparrow has brought his ‘Enigma’ persona – one of the five international PUAs (Pick Up Artists) he profiled in How To Pick Up Women – back from the US of A for our further edification.

What began as ‘three steps of comfort-building’ over about 10 minutes has now grown five-fold in a cleverly structured show, engineered according to a 10-stage plan which Enigma proclaims at his climax.  

Wearing a black beanie topped with steampunk goggles, a grape-patterned shirt, black waistcoat and trousers, and gleaming brown snakeskin shoes, Sparrow embodies his Southern-States character consistently and, as a Motivational Speaker’, works his audience with consummate skill.

He is a master at avoiding the “eewww”-type responses his master-class in how to succeed as a PUA could so easily provoke. That his Cavern Club audience numbers just six (5f, 1m – (me) matters not a jot. The “multiple shrieks from women” I mentioned in my HTPUW review are plentiful this time too: shrieks of shocked laughter from those he tags as FEGs (Future Ex-Girlfriends).

His pursuit of the major objective is judiciously peppered with insights into his impossible dreams, comparative commentary on USA v NZ politics and politicians, glimpses of his back-story … all delivered with an engaged fluency that has eluded Sparrow in the past. Spontaneity complements his scripted shtick throughout.

As an equal opportunity seducer, Enigma has plenty of advice for the women too – although it falls to me, as the only man, to receive one-one-one coaching. Given all the women are young enough to be my daughters I can only thank them for their good grace in playing along. Sparrow creates a safe space for the game he’s playing which allows us all to relax and enjoy it.

You will have to go to discover the secret of his magic mantra.

I do find myself wondering if Sparrow is getting stuck in a rut with his sexual libertine themes but as long as ‘copulāre ergo sum’ remains an imperative for his target audience, I guess he’ll find a niche market to serve.  

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