David Quirk likes to serve up his humour black. I Don’t Wanna Tell Jokes is a a show that, as it promises, delivers much more than just jokes. There’s a darkness and bitter honesty to Dave’s stories that gives his jokes a gravity that will have you laughing again and again. Also, there’s dancing.
With topics ranging from suicide and death to unrequited love, Dave creates a mood that lulls the audience into a silence before shocking them into laughter with a punch line. It’s a brutally effective technique that still has me laughing even at stories that I’ve heard him perform many times at comedy nights. While many comedians use shock as a one off gimmick, Dave skill at setting a scene keeps the audience laughing again and again.
While this show consists primarily of the accumulated stand-up that Dave has been performing around town for the past year, as a whole it becomes so much more than that. Even though the stories form individual stand-up spots, they seem to flow naturally into each other. The additional moments are also well worth the price of admission in and of themselves – I still can’t get over the dancing – and the existing material seems tighter than ever.
This is a brilliant début show from a talented performer. While some of the humour may not be for everybody – some of the shocks are actually quite shocking – I couldn’t find a flaw. I Don’t Want to Tell Jokes is a singing, dancing and laughing spectacular.
I Don’t Wanna Tell Jokes has a short run – only tonight (Friday April 13th) and tomorrow, Saturday April 14th, remain. See the comedy festival website for bookings or further information.