By Sam Turner
In the far reaches of Gluttony in the cosy Lo fi tent Canadian stand up Byron Bertram is plying his trade for the next fortnight. Last night was the first of Byron’s show Guilt Ridden Sociopath. The quaint tent offered an oasis for opening night fringers with carnage ensuing on the streets of Adelaide with drunken teenagers and mulleted bogans taking full advantage of first night festivities. However, the peacefulness of the venue did little for the stand-up’s nerves.
Although it was obvious Bertram has some good material and lots of talent he failed to hit his stride last night. It was a frustrating night for the Canuck but the comic’s flair for accents and character comedy will hopefully see his show mature as the festival goes on. Although a much-needed connection was never really established between the performer and audience, Bertram did draw some big laughs from his jokes about his desperate love life, misfiring friends (catch phrase ‘high five!’ proved to have some mileage) and Scandinavian pornography. It was from these tales and observations on cultural differences that Bertram drew most of his material and this sometimes hit (the unintelligible Scottish man offering a joke, the Danish compere’s introduction) but often missed (nearly all the Australian material) Tellingly, Bertram was funniest when he seemed to go off-script and banter with the crowd, however the show didn’t seem to have the structure for him to comfortably do this for any length of time.
Opening night nerves can be forgiven let’s hope he fulfils his potential. Bertram is in Lo fi until 5 March.
Kryztoff Rating 3K
Recent Comments