Like a fine wine, Wil Anderson is getting better with age.
But unlike most things as they age, Anderson appears to be moving more rapidly and reacting faster the more years he spends as a comedian.
Furiously frenetic, manically hopping from one foot to the other and moving his mic stand up and down like it was an additional retractable arm, Anderson can barely contain himself on stage (16 March), such is the jet propulsion energy of his jokes.
He comes out on stage to perform beside a stool bearing multiple bottles of water and a mic stand that he manoeuvres apparently without conscious thought. And this could be an appropriate analogy for Anderson’s career: he has been performing stand-up for so long now that he and the stage have become one.
And like anyone who has perfected his or her craft, it’s what the audience doesn’t see that makes all the difference.
Anderson is on a single-focused political slant, his show made up of political pondering and recapping key moments of the last 18 months and how they related to him personally and his career.
His jokes are well thought out and articulate, but are relatable and real. His fans are diverse and are tolerant of his use of the stage as his soapbox: if only because his views are the way of the future and his stance representative of the liberal-thinking youth that are coming through society’s ranks.
His subject matter could be dry or isolating for many but Anderson’s skill lies in making people connect to it. And when you can connect to comedy, it can make a mark and the message can infiltrate through the banter.
But it’s mainly Anderson’s manner that appeals; his time spent performing means his is effortlessly confident and his delivery is authentic. You get the sense that having a conversation with him at a party would sound the same.
And as Anderson hilariously pointed out in an early story about how our settlement might’ve looked, Australians definitely know how to party.
A show that is a bodacious blend of off-the-cuffs riffs, insightful comments and a genuine sense of joy garnered from performing, Anderson’s ‘Fire At Wil’ hits the mark!
Wil Anderson performs as part of the Brisbane Comedy Festival until 20 March.
