You don’t really LOL, or laugh out loud, when you’re on your computer, Bart Freebairn points out. You’re just sitting in your room, alone. Luckily, his new show Doppleganger drew a room full of people, all laughing out loud, all the way through.
You might have seen Bart in the Raw Comedy Grand Final in 2006, or gigging around the comedy scene, or even at his sell-out show at the Comedy Festival last year. Or if you haven’t seen him yet, go and buy some tickets, because this is a show that punches well above its weight.
A doppleganger is your evil double, Bart explains. He uses his world travels as the backbone for his show, starting with his attempts to find his double, then branching out into observations on childhood dreams, the internet and what the world would be like if most people in it were emos.
He describes his tobogganing experience as one of the highlights of his trip to China, and it’s certainly a highlight of the show. Though he took a cable car up to the Great Wall, he chose to instead take the toboggan slide down at the end of his visit. Yes, you read that right. Hilarity ensues as he describes the infuriatingly slow Americans blocking his path, as well as the megaphone-toting attendants who yell at him to speed up or slow down at various points along the slide.
Bart’s time in Asia proves a comedy goldmine, as he muses on cultural differences without ever becoming cliché. He describes Australia as quite a neutral-smelling place, before comparing it to the variety of pleasant – and less pleasant – smells he encountered in China. The Gucci toaster he saw there also inspires a very funny impersonation: like, pop, whatever.
The show at times approaches the surreal, but always the funny surreal. A few stories lack satisfying conclusions, such as tale of the woman in the restaurant who was furious for a reason we’ll never know. And at a couple of points, the storytelling does drag for just a touch long without a joke.
But this is nitpicking in what’s really a quality hour of stand-up. Bart’s mellifluous voice, fluent delivery and canny insight, combined with excellent jokes and riffs that milk them, mean that Doppleganger comes highly recommended.
Quick, stop sitting alone on your computer and go see Bart Freebairn. Then you’ll really be laughing out loud.
For more info and booking details go to Bart Freebairn in Doppleganger