Melbourne comedy festival review by Steve Bennett

As a child, Ivan Aristeguieta was a huge fan of bullfighting, a spectacle built around the concept of ‘duende’, the unique artistry drawn from the soul that can only be born from the heightened emotions of a life-and-death battle.

He likens it to stand-up, complete with the language of ‘killing’ or ‘dying’ in an often combative arena.  Quite whether such situations have driven Aristeguieta to the pinnacle of creativity is debatable, but it’s certainly sharpened his craft. He teases and dances with the audience as if he were the matador and we the bull, always cajoling us to be exactly where he wants us, misdirecting with an elegant flourish, before jabbing us with the punchlines to draw the laughs.

He is no longer a fan of the blood sport, though, its cruelty apparent now he’s no longer steeped in its tradition. And change, in all its forms, is a key theme of this hour. 

Fans already know he has changed his homeland. He’s been a resident of Australia for half a dozen years since leaving his native Venezuela, and is playful with the negativity that often surrounds immigrants. He’s changed his marital status, too, having got divorced after 16 years of marriage.

But the biggest shock might be that he’s changed his attitude to vegans, given that his withering putdown of their lifestyle helped shoot him to fame. The volte-face is surely down to his new partner, but he says he’s found an appreciation of how vegans are trying to do good in the world, as his Third World past yields to his First World present. 

They are not completely off the hook, though, as he rags on veggie alternatives trying to look like other food, such as bacon or sausages – a slightly hack observation, but he drives it home with a skilful timing, energised delivery and supreme likeability that defines this hour.

Matador is a robustly constructed show, with ideas reintroduced, and is sometimes informative about his family’s Spanish background, yet always relatable. He has a couple of near-sublime routines, too: his ‘just a piece of paper’ segment, based on a dismissive attitude to marriage, could have come from Jerry Seinfeld, with its forensic building up of an idea.

While not all up to that standard, this bonhomie-filled show will bring Aristeguieta ‘much shit’. Which, he tells us, is good news where his family comes from.

Review date: 2 Apr 2018
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett