In his press release Finnish comedian Antti Hakala promises “something you have never seen before” and in some respects this is true. His simple charm and aspect of naivety, combined with a gentle, ironic self absorption is instantly seductive.
Antti is a gorgeous, almost feminine, like a pretty version of Owen Wilson, and his broken English spoken with a thick Finnish accent is truly endearing. However his beauty and accent can deceive one into thinking that this material is clever, quirky and original. But listen beyond his natural charisma and the material is a bit pedestrian. That being said, many a comedian has achieved success on the strength of their personality and I must admit that his own quirky intonation can entertain an audience.
However, this show has a major glaring flaw. On the one hand Antti’s naďve charm and whimsy sell him easily to an audience. On the other hand his material is raw and unpolished and this is shown at its worst as he strays into racism. And this is defiantly not post modern ironic racism, its ‘aboriginal jokes’ and ‘black people…they have enormous cocks’ racism. For me and (judging by the sudden onset of silence) for most of the audience this deeply soured the experience. It should be pointed out that this was not aggressively hateful racism, more like the racism present in some of the seriously outdated sitcoms Britain served up in the seventies. And as a fellow punter pointed out after the show, these parts may have been down to a combination of cultural difference and very bad advice. But according to the press release Antti has been touring Australia for the past year and has gone to “every coast and corner of this vast continent” and thereby should have figured out that aboriginal jokes are simply unacceptable.
I wouldn’t usually recommend that punters actively avoid a show based on a few minutes of material, but in this case I emphatically do.
View the “comedy festival website”:http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/season/2008/show/399/ for bookings and further details