Melbourne International Comedy Festival review

‘You suck shit,’ Guy Williams tells his audience. ‘Thank you for coming.’ And he means both.

The New Zealander has come to Australia to bully some sense into the locals, calling them genocidal ‘Nazis’ … but in a playful way. While posing as infinitely better than his audience, he also acknowledges that his homeland is only marginally better. But that’s enough to claim the moral high ground, even if it’s barely a molehill.

His main target, however, is the brigade of people who whinge that ‘you can’t say anything any more’, and he offers plenty of evidence you can. Williams is no liberal snowflake – he skirts with offensive material himself - but his tongue’s in his cheek, and his intention is clear.

Worst of the complainers are comedians, people who have the best job in the word, yet bleat about oppression. And why aren’t they calling out the sexual predators in their ranks, in the same way they do about, say, Catholic priests?

His material is robust and forthright, and he performs with great timing, energy and confidence. Indeed he quips that he’s an example of how the system is rigged so that a ‘confident but mediocre white man’ like him can do so much better than others. The point is valid, while also displaying a false modesty that sits alongside the more stridently delivered sections.

He’s strong on the limited crowd work he instigates, such as asking people their favourite comedian so he can call them out as a piece of shit. More importantly, the writing is tight, with a punchline every few seconds, as he focuses on views that counter the comedy consensus. 

For example, he challenges those who dismiss Kim Kardashian as merely a reality star, famous for nothing, to create their own billion-dollar empire on the back of sex tape. However his take on the antivaxxers follows a more expected route, even if he hits the points with typical force and flair. 

He runs out of steam a little in the final straight. A deconstruction of Cat Stevens’ song (Remember The Days Of) The Old School Yard is relatively predictable, but again sells it on his  passion – however disproportionate compared to the topic in hand. And the ‘tragedy plus time’ equation which gives the show its title is a rare misfire… and will disappoint the geeks it’s presumably aimed at because of its mathematical illiteracy. 

But as an impressive performer of no-nonsense stand-up, with opinions and gags to spare, Williams offers an impactful hour of solid laughs.

Review date: 20 Apr 2023
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett