US comedian and adopted Australian Arj Barker continues the tradition of performers who are taking their comedy stock and trade out of the capital cities, into regional centres and even the more remote parts of the country. As part of his current tour of The Mind Field, Barker performed on 5 October at the Gippsland Performing Arts Centre, a 750-seat auditorium in Traralgon, in regional Victoria.
As the lights dimmed, a short 15-minute opening slot by Aussie comedian Joel Ozborn was hilarious and a nice entrée for what would follow. (He is responsible for the extra half star tacked to this review.)
Barker then took to the stage to perform his 70-minute show. In his laid-back, self-depreciating style, he discoursed on some of life’s biggest questions such as, “What is consciousness? And what happens when we die?” Putting forth his premise that “science still doesn’t know 95% of the universe”, he affirmed to all present that he came to his multiple conclusions from the copious scientific research he’d done, and written into his notebook. Cue laughter.
Using elements from his own life experiences to illustrate his theories – no matter how ridiculous some of them were – the results were convincing enough to force one to look past any preconceived ideas of reality.
Barker is a superb storyteller, able to turn the most absurd subject matter into the most entertaining and enlightening laugh-a-minute situation. Topics ran the gamut from Artificial Intelligence to his love of dogs, to an elegy to Melbourne coffee. And even when tackling taboo subjects as death, Barker aptly made it into a highly engaging, extremely amusing routine. Answers provided to the big questions stretched from the serious to the downright ludicrous.
While his protracted discourse on flatulence may have veered towards adolescent humour, his cleverly constructed “scientific theory of it”, kept proceedings above the belt, the punchline always delivered in fine style.
Barker’s writing was consistent with the show’s theme. Even when he wandered off into unrelated topics, he managed to bring it back and tie it all together. He’d spent a lot of time pondering and it showed in the wide-ranging subject matter he covered. His onstage energy was infectious, though at times some members of the audience failed to match it. When one lady in the audience burst into solitary loud laughter, Barker announced, “Now that’s how it’s done Traralgon! Lift your game, just like this lady!”
Barker ended his set by spruiking his collection of side-splitting pearls of wisdom custom stickers (the long line of people queuing after the show to purchase them from the merch desk was a testament to Barker’s marketing acumen) and the plugging of his recent film The Nut Farm.
As an observational comic, Barker points out the parts of life we’re all familiar with, from the serious to the ridiculous, and allows us to laugh at ourselves and life, while simultaneously, providing food for thought. And with The Mind Field, Barker ticked all the boxes. A thoroughly enjoyable night of comedy.
Arj Barker performed at The Mind Field at Gippsland Performing Arts Centre on 5 October 2024. He’s currently touring Australia.
