Fringe review: Nina Oyama Is 'Doing Me' Right Now
Adelaide Fringe
Far from slick and brazenly R18+, rising comedy star, social media provocateur and Utopia actress Nina Oyama is a welcome reprieve from the Fringe’s tried and trusted comedy line-up. ★★★★
“This is only the second time I’ve done this show off-book,” an outwardly nervous Oyama tells the small Wednesday night crowd huddled into the Garden of Unearthly Delights’ Cupola.
“So sorry if I kind of screw things up.”
She does. There are blunders, jokes that fall flat and confusion as the Melbourne International Comedy Festival best newcomer nominee leaps from one anecdote to the unrelated next, but that’s all part of her kooky, unrehearsed and down-to-earth charm.
The up-and-coming comedian – listed as one of InDaily’s hilarious Fringe acts you may not have seen – will at least be familiar to ABC viewers, starring as the over-eager office manager – AKA “Chief Happiness Officer – on government satire Utopia, as well as on Kinne Tonight and Tonightly with Tom Ballard.
A quick scroll through Oyama’s popular Twitter account and it’s clear what kind of content Nina Oyama Is ‘Doing Me’ Right Now has in store: sex, drugs and political commentary.
There’s outlandish tales of the 26-year-old confronting racists in her hometown of Bathurst, smoking a bong on the toilet and shopping for a pervert she met on Instagram. Peppered in between are more relatable anecdotes about awkward housemate interactions, a distain for certain media networks and selfie trends.
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It’s a scatty, energetic and fast-paced show, delivered in a manner not too dissimilar to a friend recounting what took place during a wild house party. The longer the show runs the funnier it gets, as Oyama relaxes and her audience becomes more attuned to her shamelessly imperfect style.
For those looking to experience the next generation of Australian stand-up, head to the Cupola at 9.30pm.
Nina Oyama Is ‘Doing Me’ Right Now is showing in the Garden of Unearthly Delights until March 1.
See more Fringe and Festival stories and reviews here.
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