2010 Edinburgh Fringe
Sammy J review
Sammy J isn't one to hide from an uncomfortable truth - even if it means recalling a practical joke that involves a fair amount of personal humiliation.
Holding an apple juice by his side like comfort blanket, the Australian comic shatters the angelic demeanour that he holds so well as he retells tales of exposed genitalia on school buses, the aftermath of a cheap burger and many other things which have landed the him in hot water over the last decade. And Sammy has a longer than average list of anecdotes to draw upon with his new solo show, Sammy J: Skinny Man, Modern World.
Keeping close to the musical roots which worked so well with puppeteer Heath McIvor in his 2008 breakthrough show Sammy J and the Forest of Dreams; Skinny Man, Modern World is a cleverly scripted hour of comedy which allows Sammy J all the freedoms of expression he needs while also putting him into a stand-up context for the first time.
You are taken on a whirling dervish of subjects such as teenage insecurity, childish ideas of friendship, belonging and treachery, all bundled into an introspective, almost existential theme and delivered at such a fast pace that you can be happy simply to keep up. Returning to the central theme time and again like an anchor, Sammy wanders through his own subconscious memories, telling each tale with a certain amount of honest reflection.
Telling the audience that they will one day die is usually a route to the graveyard shift of live comedy, but Sammy J manages to astutely tip-toe through the minefield of reminding people of their own mortality without burdening either the pace or the weight of the show.
In all, Skinny Man Modern World is well crafted and sublimely delivered show which made me keen to see Sammy take to the solo stage more often.
Sammy J: Skinny Man, Modern World listing
