[2013043] Nick Capper 45 minutes of…
Nick Capper @ The Crown and Anchor Hotel
7:30pm, Fri 22 Feb 2013
After being mightily impressed with Nick Capper’s performance during a ten-minute spot at the Rhino Room earlier in the week, I was really, really looking forward to seeing his full show at the CrAnchor… and became even keener when I saw a ton of people milling around the CrAnchor as I approached. A big room would be awesome, I thought.
Alas, I soon discovered that the crowds were in the vicinity for Little Miss Mexico, the fashionable pop-up du jour. In fact, there were precious few people inside the CrAnchor itself… and even fewer of them were interested in attending a comedy show by a virtually unknown Sydney-sider… not that the door staff were providing much encouragement.
And so it was that there were a mere five people in the audience, with none of the other attendees willing to venture forward to provide any support for the man on stage. As a result, Capper looked very uncomfortable directing the bulk of his material to the only audience he could see – that is, me – and I spent much of the performance trying to project my appreciation.
And I did appreciate his work, I really did. Sure, all of his material from the Rhino Room gig was repeated, but that was fine – it’s solid work, and stands up even though I knew where the stories were going. The bulk of Capper’s material sits on the side of quirky risqué, but it’s his delivery that impresses the most: he’s unafraid to use elongated pauses to heighten tension, and the dryness of his delivery – coupled with the sense of distance he seems to create between himself and the audience – makes for a bizarre experience.
But it’s really hard watching a comedian – even a good comedian – perform to a tiny audience, and Capper’s style doesn’t make it any easier. I could sense there’s an incredible performance hidden under that mop of hair – I’d seen some of it earlier that week – but a small room is not where you’ll experience it. I really hope that Capper returns to Adelaide and gets bigger audiences – hey, I’d be first in line – but, on the basis of this audience (and after hearing about his reluctance to tour), I’m not expecting him back soon. Which is a massive shame.