Review: Nath Valvo’s Show Pony by Mark Tripodi

Hi, I’m Mark Tripodi and I’ve just gone to see Nath Valvo’s show, Show Pony. Not Pony. Show Pony.

Nath Valvo is hilarious. From the moment he’s on stage, he’s working, his energy is high, and his frenetic pace of comedy doesn’t stop for a single moment he’s on stage. What’s amazing is that the show is clearly mostly new – being a show that’s all about the Marriage Equality announcement. I can’t help but feel that Nath Valvo (along with almost every other queer comedian in Australia) had been sitting on this material for a while, and there’s a joy in him finally being able to share these jokes.

The title doesn’t seem to mean anything, but that doesn’t matter. Valvo hammers jokes home with relentless force, pulling them out like a magician’s handkerchief, one after the other. He has a thread running throughout the show that he diverges from at regular intervals, but he jumps back to it and away from it at such rapid-fire speed that it doesn’t matter that what links these jokes. It feels like a best of show – so if it weren’t for the heart of the material, the marriage equality gear, it’d be easy to assume this is just last year’s show with a coat of paint. That’s how tight this show was.

There’s nothing I could find to complain about in Nath’s show. It’s just pure stand-up comedy, done really well and really efficiently. He’s not the kind of comedian for everyone; his high energy and sharp comedy style might not suit everyone. But if you like fast paced, high octane comedy – bordering on manic – and a classic presentation style, you’ll love Nath’s show.

With a solid laugh to dollar ratio, it’s an easy ★★★★1/2 show.

Tom Walker’s Honk Honk Honk Honk Honk is running through to the end of Fringe, every day except Mondays in the Garden of Unearthly Delights at 9:30pm.