[2013042] Joel Bryant is ‘Running from Public Office’
Joel Bryant, Scott Black @ Ambassadors Hotel – Ambar Lounge
6:00pm, Fri 22 Feb 2013
After the Bull & Bear (which has apparently since closed, in perhaps a demonstration of karma) turned its back on the Fringe events to which it had been committed, Ambassadors offered the displaced performers a home; of course, that didn’t help those acts that had printed flyers or were relying on the Fringe Guide to target walk-ins. So it’s understandable that a lot of the performers had been struggling a bit with audience numbers; and, as I rolled up for Joel Bryant’s last show in Adelaide for the Fringe, I encountered him chatting solemnly with fellow comedian Scott Black atop the stairs leading to the Ambar Lounge.
I mentioned how impressed I was with Bryant’s ranting at the Rhino Room earlier in the week, and how that compelled me to squeeze him into my Schedule; he smiled, but I sensed a bit of a weariness. I brought up the Bull & Bear fiasco, and the guys just rolled their eyes and laughed; I asked whether they thought it had butchered their crowds, and the weariness returned… though Bryant said, with a genuine sparkle of honesty in his eye, that “we’re happy to perform to any audience.”
And that’s just as well, because there were a frugal four of us who were there for the start of the show; an older couple who seemed totally switched on (seriously – their engagement with the comedians was fantastic), myself, and another chap whose only audible contribution to the evening was when we were asked if we played video games. But Scott Black opened up with a solid fifteen-minute set regardless, dealing with the oddities of modern life: rewriting Shakespeare for the Twitter-literate and bogans provided some solid laughs.
Joel Bryant took to the stage, and it was clear from the outset that the man belongs in front of a big crowd. Where his Rhino Room set had seen him verbally battering the audience with political observations (and accusations), with just four people in front of him Bryant appeared almost timid and unsure of himself. It’s a lovely gesture to thank the audience for coming out to see a live show, but there’s no need to do it three times; more uncomfortable still was the fact that Bryant would often directly address me and apologise for repeating material he’d done at the Rhino Room earlier in the week.
Again, it’s a lovely human touch, but unnecessary.
But after about twenty minutes of his set, three couples descended the stairs, early for the next show; they’re a bubbly lot, and they readily accepted Bryant’s offer to sit in on the rest of his performance. And, even though the audience was still small (now only just breaking double-digits), the complexion of Bryant’s delivery changed markedly: the volume increased, the language became more pointed, his eyes lit up, and I could see him take risks.
And that’s a good thing, because apart a short story about getting into comedy via a diving-board erection, the bulk of Bryant’s material is political in nature, and hence potentially divisive. But the audience were all on his side as he amped up his rants about the homogeneity of the Australian political landscape and the frustration of bureaucracy; rather than focusing on right versus left comparisons, he appealed to common sense… and that makes his comedy very rewarding.
I really liked Joel Bryant’s material, and look forward to seeing him in a crowded room again soon… hell, that Rhino Room spot was so good I’d consider going interstate to see a gig like that. But with a tiny audience, he unfortunately loses the courage of his convictions… which is understandable, given the disastrous impact of a walk-out in a small room, but when the fire returned with the larger crowd he was a genuinely thoughtful – and bloody funny – joy to behold.