COMEDY

Apparently Will Ferrell’s pastiche of Robert Goulet fathered a child with a half Viking/half Grizzly bear zygote and raised him on a pig farm in Canada. If an opening sentence like that is your thing then you will definitely love Tony Law Maximum Nonsense. You know what, even if it is not your thing, you will love Tony Law.

Deconstruction comedy is de rigueur it seems. In less talented hands it can seem like an easy cop out for those who lack the necessary comedy faculties. In The hands of Tony Law it is masterful. Flights of fantasy are travelled, worlds and characters created, each sprung from this master comic’s beautiful mind. Utilising contemporary conventions such as meditative musical accompaniment (a lá Demetri Martin or Zac Gallifinakis) through to the isolated non-sequiters reminiscent of Reggie Watts or Mitch Hedberg. Tony Law spins and weaves a show which had the audience entranced, bewitched and totally on his side.

I felt I witnessed something extremely special today. Some may require a few moments to adapt to this performance (and it is a performance), but allowing yourself to relax into the style, rhythm and conventions he adopts, will result in a beautiful digression into a child like state of bliss. Well, it was for me anyway.

Leaving the packed Stand, audience still waving their arms to and fro in an almost euphoric state, I was genuinely sad that the show had ended. Tony Law references the fact that he struggled conceptually to end his show. Me too Tony, me too.

Martin Gourlay