Mario Joyner
Note: This review is from 2009
Review by Steve Bennett
Mario Joyner supported Chris Rock on his last tour, but any expectations of similarly incisive social commentary are quickly dispelled when he opens his late-night set with a ‘what’s the deal with flying?’ routine.‘Why must your seat trays be stowed for landing?’ he ponders. Well, surely it’s a safety issue, as it involves an unnecessary edge in case of sudden braking or an obstacle in case of emergency evacuation. But, as the hack observational comic must always do, he ignores the logical and ambles off on some contrived train of thought.
Though his assured, poised delivery is exemplary, Joyner too often feels like a comic from another age, making observations that seem tired even when they are new. What’s with the mute button on phones? Is it for mute people? For a comedy festival where audiences are seeking the fresh and original, this style feels especially dated.
Joyner blames the fact he’s away from home for the largely muted response. But his satnav routine flounders because it’s overly-familiar, not because the places he mentions in it happen to be in the States. He’s only getting the response he deserves. Each gag may be struck perfectly – and there are a fair smattering of nice lines in this set – but the prevailing attitude is often too uninspiring.
Joyner is infinitely more engaging when he talks about the personal, speaking of his pride at being considered a womaniser because he’s 47, unmarried, childless and habitually dating women half his age. Yes, there’s an element of bragging here, but it certainly suits his effortlessly cool tone.
It takes a while for it to dawn on Joyner that this is what the audience wants. In typically relaxed style he admits that he didn’t pursue a line about three of his brothers having been jailed for shooting people because he didn’t think it would go down well. Though when he returned to the subject at the end of his set, we like him so much more for it, and the laughs start to flow.
It’s strange that it only belatedly occurred to a comedian of his experience that such uniquely personal material would prove more fruitful than a retreat to the universal and banal. Had that realisation come sooner, the set might not have been so wildly inconsistent.
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Melbourne, April 2009
Review date: 1 Jan 2009
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
