Review by Laura Money

Surreal and whimsically wonderful, British comedian Joey Page opens his show by pretending to ski on homemade cardboard skis, wearing his sister’s track-suit and listening to Joy Division. Because it is written in the guide. Page is a maverick – he opens with a surreal piece that is funny but completely unrelated to the show. In the tradition of Noel Fielding, Page’s hand-made cardboard skis aren’t even equal in length, a fact he is happy to relate as he explains the reason he opens his show in such a way.

Page strips off into a hipster suit and declares that he often can’t tell the difference between hipsters and the French. This leads to a hilarious segment entitled ‘Hipster or French’ in which the audience must guess which category Page’s texta drawings fall into. This is a fun show – it has a rough and ready feel to it with the posters, cardboard walkie-talkies, discount shop props, and paint-style projection images. It’s not dissimilar to living in a university student share-house – everything is unapologetically crude yet well made, considering the materials.

It’s his quirky charm that washes over the silliness with a quick wit and obvious intelligence. It is smart comedy – from his puppetry of ‘arrogant Kanye West’ to the ‘can game’ Page never misses a beat. It’s his re-enactments that really crack me up – a three way conversation involving two police officers and a lady where Page develops a lean to distinguish himself from the other policeman, and using different cardboard walkie-talkies to indicate different characters instead of just changing voices. These little extras take his comedy from grinning to laugh-out-loud.

Page is the cheeky master of the alternative – he involves his audience (including one lucky crowd-member being treated to a foam party), and his reluctant girlfriend and this enhances everything he does. Joey Page is definitely one to keep your eye out for – a genuine master of his craft.

When: 7th – 19th February 2017 | 7:30pm

Where: Noodle Palace | Fringe Central | PERTH

Tickets: $19 – $26

Info: Duration 60 minutes | Suitable 15+

Link: https://fringeworld.com.au/whats_on/event/joey_page_jowie/b0f9d453-7d10-48f5-8358-da9245fa2b56/