Melbourne International Comedy Festival review

Nath Valvo’s shows are stand-up’s equivalent of the Christmas round-robin letter from a friend you’ve almost lost touch with – a welcome, chatty catch-up on all that’s happened to them and their family over the past 12 months and a reminder of why you were mates in the first place.

The charismatic comic’s big news is that he got hitched last year, so weddings and relatives are a big theme, with his thoughts naturally turning to parenting, too. However, it’s disappointing that one of the show’s biggest laughs comes from recycling the old joke about all marriages being same-sex because the sex is always the same. 

For those who are not already devotees (Nathiests?), Valvo quickly brings everyone up to speed with the decade-long, punching-above-his-weight relationship with his Ironman-running, life-saving partner Cody – the mismatch proving a dependable running joke here, as it has throughout his career.

Another recent life milestone is turning 40, prompting mid-life analysis. Out go the parties and in come charcuterie boards and nerdy obsessions, although Valvo has long been on the path to domesticity. In his nicely welcoming crowd work, he chats to every generation and admits to being a ‘boomer in a millennial body’ himself.

He also claims he wants to be more mysterious and aloof – but he’s way too gossipy for that. In a lovely turn of phrase he calls himself ‘White Wine Wikileaks’, unable to sit on any bit of information when socialising. 

That extends to his own life, with another hour of confessional comedy, his openness building a solid engagement with the crowd. His anecdotes are brisk and lively, and he uses his physicality well, deploying the entire stage, occasionally turning away from the audience for emphasis and ramping up the mimes when it matters. The warmth of his delivery is unmistakable, and few can be left uncharmed by his easy-going but lively style. 

It amounts to a breezily entertaining hour, guaranteed to bring a smile, even if there’s no defining killer routine – with the supposedly climactic ‘eight things I’ve learned from being married for a year’ proving a damp squib. In Valvo’s safe hands, however, that doesn’t even matter that much.

Review date: 19 Apr 2024
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Melbourne International Comedy Festival