Australia’s “Most Wanted comedian Chopper” is hilarious. I’ve reviewed him before, and he just keeps getting better. Franklin is totally in the moment, at ease, and able to riff on the most absurd thing as it comes to light. He’s a consummate comedian.

Nothing is off-limits with the observational comedy of this character, and I find myself laughing at the most farcical impersonations of himself and other people. Cats, MAMILs (Middle-Aged Men In Lycra) and flying etiquette all get the Chopper treatment as he deconstructs the everyday absurdities of how we live now.

This made-for-TV-show that includes nine other acts has a strange setup, though; I could watch Chopper for two hours, but this stop/start format puts the live experience subservient to the camera needs. This is an odd thing to behold. A brilliant warm-up by Chopper dissipates as other comedians of varying quality come to the stage to do their thing.

TV and live comedy really are two different things. One is a time-based art, whereas the other is a product-based entity. It’s very hard to mix the two and maintain an audience’s heart.

Highlights of the lineup however are Sammy J and Randy, a musical-comedy duo of one man and a foul-mouthed puppet (think Avenue Q) who sing and banter with alliteration. They’re ones to watch. Demi Lardner is the only woman in the lineup and she’s very good.

Guy Montgomery brings some good timing but a weird and slightly insolent finish, calling the audience “tepid”. This insult seems to break the rules of engagement. Wilson Dixon is supremely, wonderfully laconic. His depressed country crooner is fantastic and I want more from this supremely good actor.

The overall premise of this 2-hour show proposes that NZ and Australia combine forces to become one nation: The Republic of Anzakistan. It has some merit, and it’s entertaining to see a Kiwi and an Aussie battle it out in jandals over a pavlova race. But for my money I’d still rather have Chopper running the show.

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