Melbourne comedy festival review by Steve Bennett

How charming is Dilruk Jayasinha if he can tell tales of shitting himself in public, of the faecal horrors that lurk in music festival Portaloos, and of being drunk and almost exposing himself… and STILL be one of the most adorable comedians working this festival?

His warmth fills every anecdote of this entertaining hour of ‘dumb shit I get up to’. He’s always smiling and laughing at his misfortunes – allegedly a no-no for a comedian, but done so naturally it’s infectious. Similarly, this jolly Sri Lankan is frank open about those incidents that might have marked a low point, but which he’s able to laugh about now – all of which all adds to the disarming likability.

His weight, so obviously highlighted in the promotional image for this show, is a big source of comedy – ‘I’m so fat that…’ lines, but made more personal as he opens up about his efforts to shift the kilos and his often unhealthy relationship with food, especially when he seeks solace in it when he’s down.

But this is not a tough ride through his psyche. We never dwell too much of the build-up to the amusing, frequently drink-fuelled anecdotes, which he relives vividly and entertainingly. The very title of the show sums up his light, self-deprecating touch – as well as the fact that he’s not above painful puns, conflating Macca’s with Mecca being a particular low or high, depending on your point of view

There’s not too much ambition beyond sharing these stories, but Jayasinha does put a flick of racial politics into the mix, not least when this footy-loving comic tries to empathise with the Reclaim Australia mob via his love of Hawthorn.

And the last few minutes, tying up the stories and culminating in an almost theatrical payoff that underlines the honesty of all his previous stories, is an absolute delight, guaranteed to send you into the night with a broad smile and the feeling you’ve met a new friend. A friend you’d better watch out for on a night out, but a friend nonetheless.

Jayasinha claims his motivated by negative comments; it’s hard to see him getting too motivated by the response to this congenial show.

Review date: 13 Apr 2016
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett