Matt Okine - review

Playing to a small crowd must be tough for a comedian, but if the minimal audience at the Q Theatre’s Loft last night had any effect on Australian Matt Okine, he didn’t let it show. Leaping on stage and launching straight into his set, the comedian was brimming with engaging enthusiasm.

Okine begins by discussing his new found fame and fortune since becoming the co-host of the popular Triple J breakfast radio show in Australia, and the downsides that have come with it. From recollections of abusive text messages to suddenly experiencing life in the public eye, Okine seems most passionate when talking about his job, and the opening twenty minutes are the strongest part of the show as a result.

Then, from a central narrative about experiencing an MS scare, Okine diverges into monologues on a variety of topics, ranging from thieving ex-girlfriends to being a minority actor in Australia. While each vignette is funny in its own right, the transition from hospital nightmare to hilarious anecdote is so rapid it simply becomes confusing; one minute he’s receiving life-changing news, next he’s cleaning poo off a five dollar note.

The show’s ending is somewhat anticlimactic. Okine recalls the backlash he faced after standing up for equal female representation at last year’s ARIA award – bringing the pitfalls of fame full circle – but the show then limps to its conclusion, the exuberance the Australian had opened with an hour earlier a fading memory.

Matt Okine. April 23^rd-30^th, Loft at Q Theatre. Book tickets