Presented by the Feast Festival
Reviewed 26 November 2014
Nath Valvo returns to the Feast Festival following successful runs of his show, Almost 30, and an increasing presence on television and radio.
Valvo is a fine example of how the LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) comedians in Australia are becoming craftier in their storytelling and in their ability to intrigue their audience for the length of their shows.
His Feast show, Boy Next Door, is held together within the story of Valvo receiving a wedding invitation with the worst two words any single person could receive: plus one.
His show then fires into a fast-paced performance with many shorter anecdotes intertwining neatly over the course of his performance. His comedy is loaded with nostalgic pop culture references that are snuck into almost every set up during his show. The level of small references in the show is a witty addition that makes his personal stories relatable to a wider audience.
The crowd does get a small role in his show with a couple of audience members dragged up on stage to play the children’s game Pop Up Pirate. Valvo pours out a glass of milk ready to tip over the head of the loser. Unfortunately, there was no dramatic milk spilling. This small sketch allows Valvo to show off more of a cheeky side that matches the grin he has during the majority of his performance.
Boy Next Door is assisted by a small box of props. For the most part these are just small letters, invites and the like which act as a visual aid to prompt the next tale and provide a clean break from the previous punchlines. The small box of props is also part of the clever, subtle additions in Valvo’s performance that serve a purpose and make the comedy more realistic and personal.
Projector visuals come into play later in the show for the section ‘Grindr vs Tinder’. Screen shots of conversations from these phone apps are projected onto a large screen for Valvo to present a comparison between the two. This is the beginning of a quick slide in a short, grotesque portion of the show, ending with a tale about bowel movements. This end to the show and the prominence of the c-bomb make Boy Next Door an edgier comedy good during a late night out.
Valvo is in Adelaide for the Feast Festival for one more night only.
Reviewed by Alex Dunkin
Twitter: @AlexDunkin
Venue: Queer Nexus Theatre
Season: 26-27 November 2014
Duration: 1 hour
Tickets: $12 – $25
Bookings: Book online through the Feast Festival website, or tickets at the door if not sold out.
The Feast Festival runs from 15 – 30 November 2014.
More News
