[Mate!]
If you’ve been paying attention to the NZ Comedy, bets are you’ve heard of Brendon Green. His list of credits is pretty impressive – he’s written for TV’s 7 days and The Project, he’s written and performed multiple stand up shows that have toured NZ and internationally, and he has also mentored upcoming young comedians in the Class Comedians program. This year Green is back with his 2018 stand up show My Mates Dave.
Q Vault is cosy and welcoming: there’s a tinkling of guitar playing over the speakers and charming hand drawn pictures lined up on the stage. As soon as Green starts his show his audience settle into a comfortable trance drawn in by Green’s warmth and humour.
The concept of the show follows the idea that we all have that mate called Dave, in fact, Green has an abundance of them. The seven hand-drawn cards lined up in a row on stage represent stories of Daves from Green’s life. Throughout the hour Green regales us with tales of these particular Daves, covering many different aspects of life such as friendship and masculinity. It is a simple premise executed excellently, giving Green room to show off his skills.
There’s no doubt that Green is a natural storyteller; he’s charming right off the bat, he’s humble, and he’s infectiously cheerful. His narratives flow into each other, seamlessly weaving a pleasant evening of laughs, sentimental moments and endearing anecdotes. If you’re familiar with Green’s work you’ll know he’s a dab hand at musical comedy and thankfully he brings in this element again for My Mates Dave.
Green’s writing shines through in this hour. His ability to craft deeply personal and relatable stand up is a gift and his uniquely dark and yet cheerful outlook on life makes for an interesting mix of charm and vulnerability on stage. Don’t miss this man – and bring your own Dave if you please.
Brendon Green plays Q Vault until 19 May.
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