Bananas, chutney and other secrets of the universe.
When you tell someone you are going to see some comedy at the Fringe, the immediate perception is always the same: you are going to watch a person stand in front of a microphone making observations about their daily lives or current affairs. Observational humour of the Jerry Seinfeld-variety has dominated the live comedy scene for the past two or three decades, but it is just one genre. ‘Calypso Nights’ is not that kind of show.
Barnie Duncan, through his alter-ego Juan Vesuvius, carries on the tradition of physical comedians like Charlie Chaplin and the Marx Brothers; he is able to reduce an audience to fits of hysteria without saying a word. When he does speak, rolling his r’s with Hispanic flourish, he only gets funnier; when he introduces his turn-tables in to the mix, you realise you are going to need a cheek massage tomorrow because you are not accustomed to smiling that much.
It isn’t all just frivolous mirth making though; interspersed with the gags is a historical commentary on colonialism and slavery and the impacts these had on Caribbean music. Don’t worry, though, because your brain won’t be as sore as your grinning muscles.
This is not stand-up comedy, it is fall-down-laughing comedy.
'Calypso Nights: Juan, Two?' performs The Garden of Unearthly Delights at Adelaide Fringe until 13 March.
