Dave Bloustien’s ‘Beastly’ is Ostensibly about Dave’s trip to Africa, where his wife was working as a ‘Death Specialist’, but this is more than just a safari slide night. Every mention of Africa leads into tangents discussing everything from Jewish life to stripteases. That’s not to say that the show doesn’t remain true to it’s description – there’s plenty of talk about monkeys, tourists, lions and the ever popular fun of foreign aid, racism, poverty and despotism.
Dave is full of interesting facts, some real, some funny, but mostly both. His ingenious use of a tiny xylophone as a ‘truth and lie’ detector is comedy gold, though inviting audience members to shout out ‘is it true?’ whenever they want is bound to create the occasional hiccup in comedic timing. Do you know the who the richest charity in the world is? Or why elephants are the ninjas of the jungle? Dave’s deluge of knowledge is both incredulity-inspiring and hilarious.
Dave’s an extremely likeable comic with a natural knack for storytelling. His humour is both black and absurdist, but never depressingly or confusingly so – teetering occasionally on edge of wrongness but never crossing over. This is a fun, accessible and downright interesting festival show.
Beastly runs Tuesday through Sunday until April 29th. See the comedy festival website for bookings and further details.