Daniel Townes – yeah yeah yeah yeah (FringeTIX)
Daniel Townes @ Rhino Room (Downstairs)
10:15pm, Thu 21 Feb 2008
After getting caught talking to Kate Burr and Geraldine Quinn in the bar, I walked into Townes’ show a bit late. I was the seventh audience member – Townes and the audience had obviously been discussing the low numbers – and we all cheered when the audience hit double figures; Townes’ honest and open style fosters this kind of camaraderie with the audience.
The show is very loosely based on his travels around the world – being deported from the USA, nearly being arrested in South Africa, life on the comedy circuit in England. He’s free and loose with his tongue, rarely tripping or stumbling, as he rambles from one personal anecdote to the next. There’s the occasional dip into the old comedic standby of “sex”, and an even less occasional (thankfully) pun; by and large, this is experiential comedy.
I know I say this about a bunch of comedians, but Daniel Townes is quintessentially Australian – an undeniable ocker accent, very laidback and laconic. It’s a casual kind of show, there doesn’t seem to be any real structure, but it’s still bloody funny. You almost feel like you’re part of the show… it’s like being at a party, listening to a funny friend work his magic. Friendly, familiar, comfortable – recommended.