Greg Fleet – Word Up
Greg Fleet @ Nova 1
6:00pm, Sun 26 Feb 2006
Score: 6
Jesus, Fleety. Every Fringe, I find myself saying exactly the same thing: “if only Fleety had the right material, he’d be awesome.” And so I continue to go to Fleety shows. And every time, I come away mildly satisfied – but also mildly disappointed. And frustrated.
After Fleety’s quick bit at the Comedy Benefit, hopes were high – it seemed there was a new, more politicised Fleety on the scene, ready to tackle the big issues and generally mudsling and muckrake. Alas, this show only poked and prodded without any real intent.
Nominally, Fleet claims that this show is about Words – their history, their use, their power. Introducing different sections of the show using a flip-chart – the most memorable section being “How To Talk Pretty While Punching Your Lady Friend” (or: how to become a “sweet talking fuck machine”) – he uses these titles as a springboard for ambling stories and the odd one-liner.
This time, however, he also relies on his daughter for a fair chunk of source material – and gets a few good laughs from that. Some other giggles come from the usual Fleety talking-with-riff-raff routine, and closing out with an extended version of his “I’m More Australian Than Youse” song.
Somewhere amongst the rabble Fleety referred to the ability to use words as weapons. Using that metaphor, this show would be like a blunt cudgel – quaint, pretty, but ultimately harmless.