Melbourne International Comedy Festival review

Not a stage name, Oliver Twist is an apt monicker for someone whose early life was wretched by even Dickensian standards. He spent his entire childhood in Malawi’s overcrowded Dzaleka refugee camp after his family fled the Rwanda genocide.

In his Melbourne comedy festival debut, he touches on these experiences only occasionally to add a tone of gravity. Instead, mostly he focuses on the last seven years of his life in Australia. 

Some of these stories are revealing, such as the time racist neighbours called the cops on him on his first day in suburban Queensland, for no other reason than strolling while black. However, he spends the majority of time talking about more inconsequential things. While there’s no compulsion to dwell on his history, if he’s going to chat about movies and Games Of Thrones, he needs stronger angles than he presents here. Too often, it feels like he’s just shooting the breeze.

Sure, he’s a supremely relaxed presence, performing unhurriedly and with an innate charisma, seated on a chair the whole time – though a bar stool would have helped sight lines considerably. However, the monotony of pace soon becomes a hindrance, making the show sluggish. 

That laid-back sense also pervades the writing, with plenty of needlessly wordy sections, while also missing out vital details in some stories. Why, for instance, are there no family names shared by his relatives, a key fact in one of his tales?

One story’s punchline is him telling a mayor he’d met her before. That’s it. Where or why that encounter came, we don’t know. And why this fact might be a surprise to a woman whose job it is to meet people – the payoff of what I suppose is an anecdote – is never explained.

Beneath the padding, there’s a decent 20-minute set. And there’s no doubt his poise and unique experiences make the audience want to hear what he has to say. But it’s too often underwhelming when they hear it.

Review date: 7 Apr 2022
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Melbourne International Comedy Festival