Stephen K. Amos is back with his brand of well honed observational humour to new and returning seekers of mirth.
Last night’s performance for an enthusiastic audience at Adelaide's Arts Theatre – “a shed with asbestos issues” – delivered a pleasant combination of Amos' familiar and the new for his 2020 Everyman tour.
His Nigerian heritage, the quirks of being a gay black man with a posh accent and a never-fail take on Australianisms blended effortlessly with fresh musings and impromptu diversions courtesy of the audience. ‘Charlie the product designer and his lawyer friend for the evening, Isabelle, in the third row', will remember this night for a long time. Amos does the audience participation thing very well - always taking care to ensure the involuntarily co-opted enjoy the jokes, which inavariably work, as a much as everyone else.
The 2020 Australian comedy season has already witnessed more than a few stand-ups proffering lazy political dumps seeking cheap laughs. Something in the air? The smoke? Lack of originality. I lost a bet with myself that Amos was good enough to steer clear of following suit – the only yawn of the evening.
Amos' longevity and success is based on talent, affability, safe material delivered with sufficient sauce to keep it lively and lightly sautéed with cultural observations to keep it real. And that is what was served.
The Brit who has been at the top of the billings for over a decade, flagged this tour of Australia, his fourteenth, as his last "for a couple of years at least" while he does "something a bit different in the USA" so if you’re a fan - 'don’t ‘kin wait for 2021 coz he won’t ‘kin be here!’ Alright?
If you fancy a risk-free, fun outing with guaranteed laughs from an international comic, grab a mate and get along. You could do a lot, lot worse.
★★★★
