Joel Salom’s Gadgets (from Oz) is loud, brash, and brilliantly executed.

Gadgets is a frenetic show full of ingenious if wacky gadgets, spectacular laser lighting effects, and an appealing if loopy robotic dog called Erik, who has God-like fantasies but luckily all he really wants to do is his daring trick of jumping over a small member of the audience.

Joel Salom, who looks vaguely like an elongated, rubber-limbed, baby-faced Mel Gibson, can hold up to four ping-pong balls in his mouth at one time. He also happens to be an absolute wizard of a juggler.

His big finish is to juggle with fire which is far more impressive and less painful on the eyes than the rhythmical laser lighting effects which are controlled electronically from his forearms while he’s juggling.

It’s all slightly goofy and yet mighty impressive and so are the two musicians, Marko Simec and Jim Dunlop, who not only provide some exciting musical accompaniment to the juggling and the sequence with Erik but also some of the comedy too.

The audience participation is non-threatening though I’m glad I didn’t have to throw burning torches to Joel Salom to catch as he juggled with five of them.
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Part of me wants to take Downstage to task for favouring Australian shows over Kiwi ones at this year’s NZ International Comedy Festival but the fact is no-one on our comedy circuit seems to be offering anything like the creative ingenuity, performance skills and production values brought to us by Sammy J & Randy in Ricketts Lane (last week, now playing in Auckland) and, this week, Joel Salom’s Gadgets.

If the result is to challenge our performers to up their game, or to encourage more non-standup performers to bring their skills to the festival, it’ll be worth it – and that, of course, is a major objective in hosting any international festival.  

Joel Salom comes to comedy from a Circus Oz juggler and ‘funny man’ background, to which he adds an ingenious talent for creating electronic gadgets – hence the title of his show.

A shambling but eager intro from musicians Jim Dunlop (drums and mini guitar) and Marko Simec (keys and harmonium) sets up the entrance of burnt-red-suited Salom, all gangly limbs and bug-eyes as he pops ping-pong balls from his mouth and juggles them.

The bulging-cheeked, knuckle-dragging creature he becomes could be straight out of a Far Side cartoon by Gary Larson. With the musos’ collusion it also becomes a totally batty routine. Indeed Simec and Dunlop prove to be adept at juggling the odd item too at time, almost by accident, it seems. A bonus.

Eric the Dog with the God complex makes his first appearance projected on screen so his threat of Judgement Day and selection of 6 audience members to represent the human race – ingeniously achieved – is not to be trifled with. His entrance (yes, he has the silver balls to prove his gender; balls are a recurring theme in this show) is all the funnier, then, when he proves to be diminutive.

On opening night a delightful young girl called Bella was eager to help Eric perform a mini Evel Kinevel-style stunt. Most effective in the end, however, is the little tin dog’s capacity to express a range of emotions. He is a truly poignant clown characters.

Joel – who strangely is never on stage with Eric – returns to play the juggling fool, and the hugely dextrous performer, with a clutch of flash batons. Juggling them while removing his jacket, dropping his trousers and hoisting them against (how does he do that?) has to be seen to be believed. The spin he puts on them at the climax is truly spectacular.

The next gadget is a hat with mic attached, allowing for much fun to be had with morphing an audience-member’s voice. But that’s not all: the voice is sampled then Joel dons electronic arm bands with sonic touch-pads and proceeds to work more magic with the aid of three juggling balls, escalating it into a wondrous techno-funk music and laser light show finale.

Make sure you demand the encore. Joel’s balancing act with an electric didgeridoo is a treat. As for the fire-juggling … Wow!

As a vibrant, inventive and hugely entertaining example of the lively Aussie comedy scene Joel Salom’s Gadgets could be the knee in the balls / the balls in the air / the challenge to match that the Kiwi comedy scene requires. Not to be missed.

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