This year’s comedy festival offering from Sammy J is part storytelling, part musical comedy and part existential musing. Sans his usual puppet accomplice, the well-known performer indulges a morbid fascination, resulting in some intelligent and reflective material.
Potentially begins with a narrator reading aloud a children’s story about a group of animals in the outback, which turns out to have been written by Sammy J as a child. His mother had encouraged him to send his story to publishing houses. A slew of rejection letters followed, marking a difficult period for the young lad, especially since only one publisher took the time to write back with some constructive criticism.
Now an adult, Sammy J takes the advice of that publisher and creates a new and improved version of his childhood ramblings. Accompanied by acoustic guitar he reads excerpts at various points in the set, always ending on a cliff-hanger. The new story centres on the adventures of a hapless possum named Alfie (set against the backdrop of a possum rebellion against the Australian one cent piece being taken out of circulation) and leads up to a dramatic climax on Punt Road that induced fits of laughter.
Musical numbers also feature throughout the show, and the skinny, be-suited comedian can get laughs based on a few well timed dorky dance moves. A song in defence of the f-word was crafty.
In much of the material an obsession with death was central. Imploring the audience to think about who among them will be first to go, or telling a story about the rise into space of a damaged blimp and its doomed crew members may sound overly dark, yet the tone of the show manages to stay contemplative.
Sammy J’s modus operandi is to start with a premise and exploit its potential, expanding on it until it becomes something deliriously absurd. Whether comparing comedy to politics, explaining the value for money the audience is getting, or performing a song dedicated to a man who once grabbed his hand on a plane during a patch of bad turbulence, the point is to push an idea to the farthest reaches of sanity. With Potentially, the audience gets a glimpse inside the brain of an oddball and undeniably talented comedian.
Rating: 3 ½ stars out of 5
Sammy J – Potentially
Presented by Laughing Stock Productions
Arts Centre Melbourne, Fairfax Studio
9 – 21 April
Melbourne International Comedy Festival
www.comedyfestival.com.au
27 March – 21 April
