David Quirk’s “Feeling Steve Breathe” is a difficult show to describe. On the face of it, this is another collection of stand-up material – but there’s something much more fascinating here than just jokes.
The show explores a wide variety of subjects – simple topics such as poking fun at a song lyric or traveling on public transport are balanced out with much deeper material ranging from the suicidal thoughts to dealing the death of his mother. Every topic is treated with the same level of critical analysis, regardless of how trivial or dark the subject might be. Without the need of any narrative or explicit theme, the act of filtering through Dave’s perspective pulls together a disparate collection of stand-up into a cohesive whole.
If you were to categorise David’s comedy, you’d probably reach for the ‘observational comedy’ bucket, but there’s so much more going on here than just making a few pithy jokes. Dave takes a fresh look at life and rather than just holding things up for ridicule, he uses them to explore a genuine curiosity about the workings of the human mind. On top of these observations is also built an amazing level of self-awareness and self-commentary as each thought is dissected into a form of meta-comedy.
David Quirk’s style is probably not for everyone – he is often extremely dark or absurd, and is willing to explore thoughts and topics that some audiences may find unsettling. If you’re willing to accept his honesty, however, this is and extremely rewarding show that will keep you laughing and thinking long after you’ve left the room.
Visit the Comedy Festival Website for booking details.