Presented by More Talent
Reviewed 18 February 2020
Fringe favourite and darling of the British panel show circuit, Jeff Green, is back to make audiences laugh in his new stand-up show, Wombat Combat and Other Mistakes.
Premiering Tuesday night at the Howling Owl, Green started his Fringe 2020 season with a sold-out show. With 30 years of comic experience under his belt, it’s easy to see why audiences flock to see the award-winning comic. Green’s wit is biting, audience interaction snappy-quick and his willingness to joke at his own expense endearing. The gent delivers all this whilst wearing a most respectable suit, complete with spotted tie.
Green is now in his 50s, living in Australia with his wife and two kids, all of whom lend much fodder to his show. Topics touched on during Tuesday’s show included the perils of cruise ships, marriage versus dating, bowel motions of newborns, ‘virtue signalling’ on social media and the general decline through ageing that awaits us all. Green celebrates his ‘mistakes’ and, lucky for us, is adept at turning them into hilarious stories of misfortune illuminated through his awesome vocabulary.
There were some minor issues in his debut show — the first microphone had to be replaced because it ‘wasn’t funny enough’. Thankfully the replacement provided far clearer vocalisation and was indeed ‘funny enough’. Green tried out a few recently penned jokes that didn’t hit the mark quite as well as his obviously more practiced stuff, but these were few. He also handled heckles from a drunk woman exceptionally well, querying whether it was the ‘theatre ghost’ talking to him. The target audience for this show is probably middle-aged and up, given Green’s focus on issues relevant to this demographic. However, that said, there were still a bunch of youngsters in the audience who were clearly having a great time.
Green’s 30 years of experience is made clear by his professional demeanour and delivery, as well as the sheer vastness of topics covered. The energy was high throughout, as were the laughs and applause. The venue is great — intimate but big enough to feel lots of Fringe atmosphere. The only downside to this show is that his season is short. If you love articulate, smart comedy, this show is for you, so get along to The Howling Owl quick!
Reviewed by Samantha Bond
Twitter: @SamStaceyBond
Rating out of 5: 4.5
Venue: The Howling Owl
Season: 18 – 22 Feb
Duration: 1 hour
Tickets: $25.50 – 34.90
Bookings: https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/jeff-green-wombat-combat-and-other-mistakes-af2020
https://www.adelaidefringe.com.au
https://www.facebook.com/comedianjeffgreen/
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