Review by Steve Bennett

This is 22-year-old Josh Thomas’s ‘coming out’ show. But it’s not so much about gay pride, as gay ‘unassuming shyness’. Self-conscious and a little awkward, more than one punchline was lost in the upper circle of Melbourne’s 1,000-seat Comedy Theatre as he mumbled his lines towards the floor.

With cute, boyish looks, sensitive stand-up material, a career in the performing arts and two gay brothers, his homosexuality doesn’t come as a huge shock – hence the show’s tongue-in-cheek title. Even the teenage female fans he’s picked up from his recently acquired TV fame are unlikely to be too heartbroken by his unavailability, as his puppy-dog adorability has probably risen even more with the revelation.

The show very much reinforces that image, a litany of quietly self-effacing anecdotes about discovering his sexuality as he fell for fellow comedian Tom Ballard that are so sweet that they should come with a health warning for diabetics. Even when there’s a bit of an ‘adult theme’ – such as the cornerstone story of him chasing a beautiful boy to Geelong, only to realise that Ballard was The One – there’s still a delightful charm in the telling.

Could this get any more luvvie-dovey? Well, let’s add some affectionate stories about his incontinent pet dog John and see…

The gags are sometimes a little pedestrian, but Thomas’s humble likability ensures it’s easy to enjoy, and there are more than enough skilful turns of phrase to entertain. When he drifts away from the core personal story – such as the easy jokes to be had with picking holes in the Noah’s Ark myth – the shortcomings are more exposed, but the romance of his core story and the sensitive humility with which he tells it are undeniably appealing. It’s a charming modern love story, with gags as a bonus.

Review date: 13 Apr 2010
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett