The Groggy Squirrel

Warning: don’t go Tommy Dassalo’s new show The Universe is Parmagiana hungry. Hell, I ate before I went, what’s more I deliberately ate chicken parmagiana before I went, and I still walked out with the sole intent of finding the nearest pub with the biggest, juiciest parma that I could muster.

I should point out that I went to Tommy’s show on Grand Final night and, probably as a consequence, the audience was small, with only three of us turning up for this performance. I make this point because it’s important to note that Tommy (who was also losing his voice at the time) met this small crowd with full energy and commitment, enticing the audience to respond in kind. I’ve already encountered some flagrantly unprofessional behaviour from performers this Fringe which makes me appreciate, all the more, the performers who are professional and posit their audience as top priority.

This is essentially a show of stand up, with various routines and anecdotes linked together to form a story which works as a cohesive whole. The stories trace a journey that takes Tommy from despondency to an obsessive worship of the one true deity, chicken parmagiana. Tommy’s stand up is accomplished and he is a genuinely funny and inventive performer.

There are times when Tommy’s influences show through in this show, particularly the influence of Justin Hamilton. But Tom is a young comedian and this is, by and large, part of the process that young comedians go through as they develop their own voices. There is also an issue with eye contact, with Tommy predominantly addressing himself over the heads of the small audience which made for a sense of unease as an audience member. However this did tend to dissipate a little as the show went on.

Tommy also uses visual aids in this show. He uses a sketch pad with drawings to mixed success, mostly finding the successful side of ‘mixed’. He also crowns this show with a video piece which is neither sketch nor mockumentary. This is footage of Tommy’s field research, documenting other ’ parma enthusiasts’ (yes, they exist) as he joins them for an appraisal of a particular parma dish. What makes this sequence work so well is that it steers clear of artificially parodying its subjects, but just holds a mirror up to their sincere and deeply earnest efforts to truly and honestly appraise the parma in question.

This is a very good show from one of Melbourne’s brightest young comedians, featuring in his first full length solo show. This show points the way to where this young man is going. It is worth catching Tommy now and seeing him before he becomes ‘the next big thing’. Plus, this show certainly deserves a bigger audience than three.