Stand up Comedy is truly an art form. When you see five comedians strut their stuff for 15 minutes, you realise, how difficult it is to stand up in front of a bunch of strangers and get into a groove. It needs to be said that this is the hardest form of comedy to showcase the comedic skills of each individual.

Each guy was so different, not just in content, but in style and in the rapport they had with the sold out crowd- and here is where the true art lies.

The ability to make one person laugh is not just the content you are delivering but it’s also how you tell it. Might sound like making a comedian suck eggs but these shows highlight the ones that have really nailed that concept and the ones that haven’t- yet.

The MC for the night was Jon Pinder, best known as the “Absolute Geezer”. He warmed up the eager crowd with some well thought out self deprecating humour. 

His strength however was his impersonations and mimicry. He did an amazing John Hughes impersonation, which I was hoping would go longer, and some outstanding animal noises and impersonations. His crow was worth the price of the ticket.

Second up, was Blake Richardson. A young Perth Māori boy new to the comedy scene. 

Again self deprecating humour was the name of the game but although his energy levels were up, he seemed to miss the mark with his delivery. Fabulous observational humour about being a barista to boomers.

The Queensland journeyman John Barrett was next. Barrett was easily the strongest. This reviewer must disclose that Barrett’s one man show has already been reviewed by me.

Barrett not only has great content but his timing is excellent.

Jez Watts from Melbourne was up next. Watts had some really good content including a great set on performing to the hearing impaired. The crowd was in stitches. However, he had a bad habit of apologising to the audience after he delivered a joke because he felt the content wasn’t working. He needn’t have, the routine was strong.

Benny Darsow from South Australia was the final act. Darsow had an ease about him that exuded quiet confidence. His self deprecating humour seemed to work really well with the audience because his delivery was neither apologetic or frenetic. Being 40 and falling apart, physically, really resonated with the crowd.

All these blokes have solo shows throughout Fringe and I suggest a night spent with anyone of them is going to be highly entertaining.