Review by Corry Shaw

Enthusiastic Jarred Christmas can light up a room, if not with his glowing, personable character then with the sheer physical energy which he brings to the stage. He bounds on high fiving and stripping for the audience with the confidence and charisma of an over eager boy band member performing to screaming fans.

Christmas has a very loose theme for his show this year. Having recently become a father he is reevaluating his life and examining the huge responsibility that comes with writing 'stand up comedian' on his daughter’s birth certificate. Even with such a flexible theme there are some segments which veer wildly off topic and appear very much like filler transposed from his club set. There is even a ‘miscellaneous joke section’ in the middle of the show which is essentially just a collection of puns and one liners of varying quality.

There are some nice observational quips and some fairly touching anecdotes about his wife and child and the hopes and aspirations he has for creating a better life for them but there is nothing too deep or serious. There is quite a focus on Christmas's own childhood which is obviously in the forefront of his mind when mapping out his dream future for his daughter. There are several classic gags about bullying but with the added joy of the tales of how creative youngsters can be when faced with an unusual surname.

Everything is approached with an air of light-hearted silliness and Christmas keeps the momentum and joy flowing even through some fairly unremarkable material. His grin is infectious and his shining optimism cuts through the weaker sections and the audience seem happy to follow wherever he takes them, such is the sheer charisma of the man.

This is not a show with a message, there are no groundbreaking observations or ideas but it is a solid hour of good fun, light laughs and some pretty special dance moves. Entertaining and enjoyable but lacking a punch.

Review date: 19 Aug 2010
Reviewed by: Corry Shaw