Joel Vinsen seems to have been all over Auckland these last few weeks. One of the hardest working comedians in NZ, he has been hitting smaller clubs to hone this show which has resulted in something that is fast, funny, and festooned with inanimate and animated characters to add dimension to an often-static man, cleverly dominating the spotlight.

The audience, packed with his peers, is immediately invited to participate with a “knock-knock” joke that transforms into some excellent political satire that, for some logical reason, includes children’s squeaky toys. Harking back to vaudeville, it is so beautifully executed Vinsen emphatically notes, “I don’t do comedy, this is art”.

The show quickly rolls into more fun when the audience is offered humourously decorated sex-toys (don’t be alarmed, nobody gets hurt and, whilst the show has an R18 rating, it seems the presence of sex-toys is the reason, not how they were utilised) to engage in an historic event that, regardless of who is aware of the logos of it happening, the sheer hilarity of flying dildos has the theatre seats rumbling with laughter.

During all of this, Vinsen manages to acknowledge two events relating to an audience member – a birthday and an upcoming marriage – and to inject one potential fly in this clever apothecary of amusement’s ointment, a Hen on a Hen’s night. With gentle, but firm professionalism, Vinsen quietens the would be second act, to the admiration and relief of the audience.

Sex scrabble, a haughty and very punny Sock-topus, and popping a couple of lunges fill the rest of the hour. Self-effacing sweating sees several jokes stream from Vinsen who is notably at ease in front of this comedically rich crowd. The theatre stalls continue to rattle in waves as Vinsen’s cleverly laid spectacle unfolds and he reveals “What else is going on in (his) life?”.

Renowned for being dead-pan, this comedian is dead-funny, dead-smart, and dead-kind! He effuses a warmth and generosity throughout his show that he displays within the comedy community. Each bit is smart, sharp and succinct and blends beautifully into a show that satisfies on this, the penultimate night of the NZ International Comedy Festival

From the beginning Joel gives his audience more than their ticket price worth of entertainment. He gives a next level performance. He gives us art.

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