Born in the US, eh?
Inch Bar, 8 Bank St, Northeast Valley, Dunedin
09/03/2017 - 12/03/2017
Production Details
Created and performed by Luke Callaghan
A pure Californian with a mint-as Auckland edge, expect a shock-and-awe campaign of laser guided jokes as Luke emphatically over-delivers on the final answer to the question, “So what do you think of New Zealand??” He’ll take you through the jarring transition from Northern California prep school to dingy Hamilton tinny house, and how he worked hard to avoid the drudgery of life as a tech startup CEO in Silicon Valley to become a standup comedian in New Zealand.
‘Easily one of the smartest young comedians in NZ… genuinely funny and very topical.’ — Brendhan Lovegrove
2013 NZ Comedy Guild Best Newcomer winner
2014 RAW Comedy Quest National Finalist
2015 NZ Comedy Guild Breakthrough Comedian of the Year nominee
Comedy , Solo , Theatre ,
60 minutes
Personal charm and smart writing
Review by Reuben Hilder 11th Mar 2017
Luke Callaghan’s Born in the US, eh? is another of the series of one hour stand-up sets being hosted at Inch Bar as part of the Dunedin Fringe Festival, and as far as an hour’s entertainment goes, you could certainly do a lot worse. The word on my tongue as I leave is ‘inoffensive’, but I do not mean that as criticism. Quite the contrary in fact.
Looking back, I cannot think of a single instance before Born in the US, eh? in recent years when I saw a comedy show that didn’t at one point try (and admittedly often succeed) at getting a laugh through being shocking. There’s something commendable about a comedian setting out to entertain for sixty minutes with wit and observational humour alone, and Callaghan pulls it off without it ever feeling like something is missing.
As a US immigrant to New Zealand, much of Callaghan’s humour derives from providing perspective to the cultural differences between the two countries, and he keeps it fairly balanced, avoiding the sense that the laughs are coming at the expense of either group.
There are still a few hiccups – Callaghan is clearly very nervous but every time it looks like his nerves are about to get the better of him he is able to turn it around and get into the flow of things without losing much momentum. Awkward as these moments are, the show as a whole doesn’t suffer in any appreciable way because of them.
For the most part, his delivery is crisp and full of personal charm. Combine this with some smart writing and an ability to read and work off his audience and Callaghan is able to deliver some rock-solid comedy.
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