I never expected Tommy Little’s latest stand-up show to be about gratitude.
With his perennially immature radio and TV persona, Little has built a career out of being a bit childish and owning it, too. So when his show – named (again, immaturely) Tommy Little has a Regular Size Deck – turned out to have a lovely message, it was a shock.
But if what the comedian said was anything to go by, tomorrow’s show will be entirely different anyway, making this review redundant.
Little is hilarious, that much is evident, and perfectly comfortable on a stage – albeit one that is poorly decorated (were the ugly LED structures his idea or just something the venue threw together?).
He’s self-deprecating, too; most, if not all, of the jokes are at his expense. Be it his late-in-life ADHD diagnosis, his weak gut, his fight against an electric toothbrush or simply his love life, the laughs are self-inflicted.
The best bit of the evening was a brilliantly delivered recount of Little’s involvement in the Celebrity Grand Prix. This reviewer cannot do the spiel justice, but his dedication to consistently making himself the butt of the joke is admirable.
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However, it took a while for Little to really take off. He spent too much time talking about Adelaide in comparison to Melbourne (note to interstate comedians: we don’t really care!), and a few hecklers within the first 30 seconds seemed to knock the seasoned comedian unsteady, but once his engine was going, it was smooth sailing.
Little’s show is a guaranteed laugh.
Tommy Little has a Regular Size Deck is in the Vagabond in the Garden of Unearthly Delights until March 3.
Read more 2024 Adelaide Fringe coverage here on InReview.
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