When the comedy reviewer becomes the act
Hoani Hotene and Itay Dom: Stand Up So Cool It Has Sunglasses On Cavern Club, March 5
Iusually believe that it’s poor form, and worse prose, for a reviewer to talk about themselves in a review. The reader doesn’t want to know about me, they want to know about the show. However, I feel left with little choice when a substantial portion of the act becomes about my presence as a reviewer.
Itay Dom seemed preoccupied by the idea that a reviewer would be attending the show, so much so that I’m a bit worried I threw him off his game.
About 10 minutes into his set agonising over the small size of the Tuesday night crowd, he lamented that the reviewer hadn’t even showed up. At this stage, I felt compelled to raise my hand and assure him everything was going to be alright. I’m not sure I should of.
Dom is one half of Stand Up So Cool It Has Sunglasses On: an hour-long show of comedy in development. He’s joined on stage by Hoani Hotene, who thankfully seemed less concerned with my presence. This may be because Hotene has something else to occupy his mind: a very big bag full of interesting things, like magic tricks, juggling balls and a $24 poster he needs to earn his money back on.
It’s a bold move to break out the prop comedy: a form of humour with a reputation for being hackneyed and tired.
But Hotene makes it work as he dives into his giant bag in a reflexively awkward way. While to reveal the details would be to ruin the gag, the poster, in particular, is an ingenious touch that ties together the disparate gags of his routine about dental care, bullying, and recent politics.
In contrast, Dom didn’t seem as well prepared. Unless he’s an astounding actor, he came across as genuinely aggrieved at the small crowd: fretting about whether the gig was worth his time.
That was until he cottoned on to my presence, at which point it felt like half of the subsequent material was about me: he asked what I was writing in my notebook and seemed to think I had some sort of stake in The Post.
This makes sense insofar as he comes across as a comedian who doesn’t so much deliver tightly crafted material as feeds off the energy of a crowd with quick wits and bluster.
But it’s hard to feed off the energy of a crowd on a small night, which left him a bit adrift, and he kept asking the audience whether we’d understood his jokes.
Despite this, it feels like he’d really spark when presented with a full room, so I’d encourage you to help him out. I’m sure he’s got a lot of love to give.