Another sell-out night, over sold in fact, with walk-ins who even called ahead to be told it had sold out, Coombe’s comedy is that well received on a night when there is plenty to choose from on the Auckland Fringe menu.

Andy Krippner, Thomas Chapman and Liam Lonergan all have brief spots to get the crowd’s comedic receptors primed and ready for the main course, and each adds to our evening with full flavoured sets that lubricate the room nicely, also cleverly finding hit-and-miss targets for later crowd work.

When Coombe ascends the stage, he does it with surety and confidence. And why not? His previous night was a huge success, but he knows tonight is a new night and he has already seen where the audience “funny meter” sits, and who can and can’t be tested with some crowd work. Surveying his audience as he shifts the mic stand from one side of the stage to the other and back again, the excitement within him is obvious.

Coombe’s comedy popularity is reflected in the sell-outs across the four shows. Tonight, Red Bar is oversold and bristling with a mix of generations, a reflection on how he can connect with a crowd beyond his years. This isn’t his first rodeo though. Coombe has been producing comedy shows for several years, including a number of sell out tours of his own.

Tonight, there is just a smattering of crowd work in the beginning, often a staple for Coombe in recent months. He soaks in an already warmed room and leads his audience through the journey he has spent months manicuring. Bringing to life his thwarting a mugging by a gang member, sexual awakening and exposure, and his first fifteen seconds of fame on national TV.

There’s more than a likeability about this guy who delivers punchy, well metered and seriously funny stuff. Obviously, Coombe is here to have fun, and we are going to have fun with him, he’s decided that for us, and we do. But he also shows some vulnerability at times which is endearing and adds a layer not a lot of comedians of his age have the maturity to reveal.

If anything, “there wasn’t enough Coombe tonight” as one punter put it. His act draws to a close too soon with a sing-along parody of a Tiiki Tane song and a call for singing and guitar lessons. He asks for some feedback from his audience including this reviewer who gave it five stars out of five. Perhaps out of six as I too could have had more Coombe inside the show.

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