Charlie Pickering (FringeTIX)
Charlie Pickering @ Bosco Theatre
9:30pm, Tue 27 Mar 2007
It’s been a few years since I last saw Charlie Pickering – I liked what I saw then, but didn’t manage to schedule his 2006 show. But he’s here, now, and so I find myself in the Bosco on a cold Tuesday night as a storm hits Adelaide.
Pickering comes onto the stage, and straight away I can tell that he’s much more confident than he was in 2004. After all the Hellos and ThankYous, he jumps into a minor diatribe about the butt of many comedian’s jokes this Fringe – the World Police & Fire Games. After mocking the events, he asks if anyone present actually attended – and is informed that we have a Gold Medal winner in our midst.
“A Gold Medal winner? This is exciting – and, potentially, insulting. What event?”
“Wrestling.”
“…Embarrassing.”
Wonderful timing :)
The bulk of Pickering’s show, he explains, is based around one story – why he loves his Dad. Upon hearing this, the crowd noticeably dies – but he quickly wins us back with tales from his Dad’s war of one-upmanship with his practical-joking nemesis. Somewhere in there, he wandered into a rambling improv section where he was talking to a Algerian parking meter; this diversion was the sole negative for the night, and only because it went on a bit too long.
With this show, Pickering proves himself to be a master storyteller with a keen eye for humour in the everyday; granted, his father provided him with plenty of material to work with. He garners empathy from the audience, and he works well with us – he’s just a wonderful performer. And caring, too, giving us the opportunity to shake out the Bosco NumbArse in the middle of the act.
Let’s put it this way – Pickering’s still on The Shortlist whenever I see his name.