Review by Steve Bennett

In one tour-de-force scene, he becomes in quick succession: the funny bloke from accounts who can’t translate office wit to the stage; the Eddie Izzard knock-off complaining his easy whimsy is too smart for the audience; the aggressive, gynaecologically-obsesessed woman;the Northern English bloke mimicking homely characters; the tedious nerd; the psychotic using humour as therapy and the impenetrably weird performance artist.

This is the story of one of them: the fictional Dave Berry, a hopeful who’s been performing - and dying - on stage several times a week for years. What he lacks in talent, he makes up for in perseverance and delusions of adequacy.

His ubiquity, and his uselessness, mean he’s a constant topic of conversation among fellow comics, confident in the knowledge they call all look down on him. Indeed, several big names, from Adam Hills to Dave Hughes contribute video reminiscences to the show.

Callinan was kind - if not quite believable - enough to have given Berry a brief moment in the sun, thus justifying our interest in him, and explaining how he came to be the subject of a documentary, whose Germanic director provides the commentary here.

Rich with in-jokes, this unusual show can probably only ever play within a comedy festival, as it’s not quite substantial or revealing enough for a wider audience. But it’s a fine showcase for Callinan’s character talents; talents so substantial he even can even make some of Berry’s dreadful material seem funny.

Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Melbourne, April 2009

Review date: 1 Jan 2009
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett