FRINGEWORLD 2017 – Infinite Jest Presents: The Nasty Show (3.5 stars)

Review by Kieran Eaton

Infinite Jest: Presents: The Nasty Show doesn’t just push society’s PC boundaries, it snaps them in half!  The Nasty Show is a variety night of stand-up comedians all presenting the kind of material that would get them banned from most comedy rooms. It’s called The Nasty Show for a reason!

Being told that you must be clean and safe can be a frustrating thing for comedians. The creative side of a comedian wants to make anything funny, even cringe worthy subjects! This is the exciting thing about the show, seeing comedians in ‘I don’t give a f—k’ mode.You know this show is going to be unique when show creator and MC for the night, Jez Watts bounds onto stage with glee!

Watts confidently handles a relatively shy crowd with aplomb. He gets a nasty joke from a crowd member and then raises the bar with his own gross material.  You know you have a talented line-up when the first act, Mike G elicits laughter just by referencing a line from Watts’ own material. Mike G is so nasty he crosses social taboos by recalling the time he once took up the seat of a handicapped person on a plane. But hey, he needed a comfy seat, right?

Next up is Laura Davis whose quirky delivery brings lots of shock to the audience. She builds up to some great laughs with a story of sexual deviance. The night’s third performer is the most unique, James McCann opens traditionally with self-depreciating looks-based humour but slowly builds to more intellectual topics. Don’t worry, they are still awkwardly un-PC.

Bringing up the rear in this nasty line-up is Glenn Grimwood who ends the night with humour that plums the  depth of his dark soul.

Infinite Jest Presents: The Nasty Show is an interesting experience for somebody who is used to safer comedy nights. Personally, I enjoyed it but it may be something you should ease into if your taste in comedy is quite sedate. The line-up varies each night so don’t just go once!

 

When: 20th – 28th January | 11:15pm | Fridays and Saturdays

Where: The Lunar Big Top | The Pleasure Garden | PERTH

Tickets: $11 – $16

Info: Duration 60 minutes | WA Artist | Adults only 18+

Link: https://fringeworld.com.au/whats_on/event/infinite_jest_presents_the_nasty_show/bd83dfd7-2dd2-4eea-9937-d0ecfac48618/