While the title may suggest it would be another one of the many musically themed shows in this year’s festival, it is in fact a brilliantly executed show of stand up with a bit of music thrown in.
In a recent addition to the show, Jeremy invited a fellow Kiwi by the name of Sam Wills to open the show for him. Sam performed a series of stunts for both our repulsion and entertainment. We witnessed feats ranging from a setting off a Party Popper in his mouth to passing his body through the head of a tennis racquet. Although these stunts are the usual fare for most modern street performers, Sam executed them with a fantastic sense of humour that made them his own. His Show Stopper was definitely the “Human Clothesline” that involved his nasal cavity, a rubber string and two volunteers.
Hailing from the other side of the Tasman, Jeremy has based his show on the “Us verses Them” attitude that has become so prevalent in recent times. He not only points out the stupidities in the world, he also offers some suggestions as to how we can change our thinking and possibly change the world around us.
Jeremy covered a fairly broad spectrum of issues that included terrorism, religious conflict, drugs, alcohol, the New Zealand way of life, football codes and relationships. Despite some of the male orientated topics, it was never blokey and quite universal in its’ appeal.
A several points during his stand up, Jeremy picked up his guitar and belted out an original song that nicely summed up a topic he was discussing. “My God’s bigger then your God” aptly summed up his attitude towards religious hatred and the wars it created. His priceless interpretation of the many “love as an illness” songs was full of the most horrendous diseases ever compared to a person in love.
Mr. Elwood also did a bit of improvised musical work by including the details of two audience members (we had Sarah the Receptionist and Vaughn the Solicitor) into a song about a rendezvous. Although it could have easily been simply a matter of plugging the details into a set formula, he then pushed it even further by taking suggestions for musical styles he could take the song into.
It was nice to see that he had taken the time to include many local references into the material, so it was dead simple for the predominately Australian audience to relate. I found it interesting that he often included a “we” reference when speaking about Australia and our attitudes, thus demonstrating that Aussies and Kiwis have had a similar experience in relating to the rest of the world.
Jeremy has a great stage persona which is friendly with just a hint of frustration with the world. Think of him as a less grumpy Matt Elsbury. The audience quickly warmed to him and was very receptive to his socially aware humour. It was easy to see why he is a celebrated performer back home.
Have a look at Jeremy Elwood – Rock plus Roll for all the details.