Four heads are better than one, at least that’s so in the case of this troupe of young comedians.  Banding together to present their repertoire of short stand-up sets, skits, one-liners and video clips was a clever move, allowing for a pace and dynamic that supports and enhances the individual talents being showcased.

Fact or Fiction?  You Decide… moves along smoothly and swiftly in the manner of a television skit show, the ever changing focus and varied material allowing a light, absurd tone that is difficult to maintain in a solo performance.  The four comics enter and exit with a pleasing fluidity, sometimes pausing only to deliver a single one-line gag as they cross the stage.

Cameron Murray, or ‘Pinchy’, opens the show with a peculiar riff on Fact and Fiction and has a oddball manner on the stage that lends credence to his self-described likeness to Gonzo.  He clearly has a streak of absurd humour that can be sharp and unusual.  His stand-up material, however, is a little too traditional for my liking, especially when he gets into the sexual angst territory.  His creepy predatory comments to the woman in the front row lingered unpleasantly over the rest of the set.

Nick Grimwood contributes mostly gags about going out, getting drunk, dancing and ‘stabbing prossies’.  It’s juvenile material that shows his lack of experience, but his energy on stage is bright and indefatigable, bringing an element of physicality to the troupe.  His self-aggrandising character is used both on stage and on screen in video and slideshow sequences, more or less successfully, but overall the style is too tame and familiar.

Jim Stanton gives us some much more original humour when alone at the mic, delivering perhaps the night’s best line:  "Desperate times, desperate cellists."  She (yes, Jim is female) also manages to make her own that horribly overused device, pretending to be a four-year-old, by having her report the grisly details of a motorway accident, to the audience’s obvious enjoyment.  It’s a genuinely funny characterisation.

T.J McDonald is clearly the most professional of the group, enjoying an ease and command with the microphone and audience that betrays his Toi Whakaari training.  He takes his time with punchlines and avoids straining, ummming and other nervous tics displayed by his partners on stage.  He provides some of the funniest moments of the show, including the ingenious ‘That Guy’ video clip, which is a simple idea but extracts massive laughter from the crowd.

The visual material is very well constructed and integrated with the show.  The video sequences are notable for their comic timing and brevity, and the slides that accompany some of the one-liner gags are well-judged so as not to interfere with the gag itself, either contextually or technically.

All in all Fact or Fiction: You Decide… is a very enjoyable, if light and at times a little green, ride.  By sharing the spotlight, these four comics have done much to ensure the audience will remember them.

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