The end is nigh(ish)!

According to the best calculations of the Christians, the Muslims, the Mayan calendar, and Kiwi comedian Benjamin Crellin, the time of the Apocalypse is at hand.

In his witty and well-researched set Crellin considers the current state of world affairs and draws the conclusion that this is the end of days, Armageddon is approaching, and the Antichrist walks amongst us – in a pair of tacky stilettos.  After all, the ‘anti’ Christ must be the exact opposite of Christ, right?  Rich, white, superficial, stupid – and a woman.

This is comedy with a bite. Natural disasters, global warfare and widespread disease are not topics that lend themselves naturally to laughter, but Crellin has an acerbic and intelligent wit that finds humour in dark places and he is not afraid to share it.  His musings on the horrors we see on the evening news have the audience chuckling with guilty laughter, even as the comedian himself eyeballs us and expresses what is at heart a valid fear for the end of the planet.

Crellin is no more afraid of offending than he is of tackling the big topics.  His jabs at religious fundamentalists and the mentally ill toe the borderline of acceptable humour, but he has a keen awareness of his audience’s sensibilities and when he goes too far soon manages to bring us back in again.  And it is difficult to be offended when so many of Crellin’s jokes are aimed at himself.

Crellin is clearly a comedy pro. He is a confident and comfortable performer who builds an easy rapport with the audience and delivers an hour of material that is clever, funny and thought-provoking. His set also contains what I am sure is the best pun of the festival – I will not tell you what it is, you will have to go and see it.

Highly recommended for all people who are currently alive but scared one day they will be dead.
_______________________________
For more production details, click on the title above. Go to Home page to see other Reviews, recent Comments and Forum postings (under Chat Back), and News. 

Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer

This stuff is stand up comedy gold because its so funny, yet makes a point as well. Crellin’s delivery is relaxed and he is so at home on stage, quipping with the audience seamlessly, he’s clearly a seasoned pro.

The comedy is always on at least two levels; on the surface the setup and punch-lines are hilarious. Yet there’s a delicate irony for those who wish to explore it, which is great!  There’s nothing worse than being hit with a social point like a frying pan in the face.

Crellin brilliantly mocks our over hyped fears, the Swine flu, the conflicts in the middle east – the great fundamentalist showdown, the recession. He takes aim at our over sensitivity to anything that could be misconstrued as racist, our desensitisation to destruction in the 1st world compared with the immediate suffering in the 3rd  and answers the question that I’d been wondering for some time: "what is the 2nd world?".

Fear of annihilation through so many possible methods has been pushed out to us through the silver screen aiding the news reports but Crellin allows us to touch base for a moment with reality and have a good laugh at the absurdity of a fear based world around us, created in studios where even human suffering itself is made into a product.

He is self-effacing, confident and shameless – all great qualities in a person and more so in a stand up comedian.

As always with Stand up I really don’t want to ruin the jokes but I will say that I thoroughly recommend this show. Crellin starts at the end – the end of the Bible, and stays there – at the end of the world. I share his optimism for our wee small country though. Our best defence: the fact that were not even shown on the world map in the board game Risk. 
_______________________________
For more production details, click on the title above. Go to Home page to see other Reviews, recent Comments and Forum postings (under Chat Back), and News.

Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer