Melbourne International Comedy Festival review

Dilruk Jayasinha has been steadily rising through the ranks of Australian comedy, winning legions of new fans with his appearance on Celebrity MasterChef last year. But those venturing to see him live for the first time on the back of his new TV profile will have to sift out a lot of chaff to get to the charming story hiding deep below.

First, you have to endure some tired ‘prison rape’ jokes; a not-especially believable story about telling airport security that he had a sex toy in his carry-on (which seems to be a flimsy excuse to do a comedy African accent, just because he can); and more cheap gags about ugly women on dating apps and premature ejaculations. You may find yourself checking your watch here, not just because it drags, but to reassure yourself what year it is.

The material is often cynical, even mean – which doesn’t align with the apparently easy-going man on stage telling it. ‘Kindness annoys the shit out of me sometimes,’ he grumps. And on connecting with a woman online after 15 years of being single, he concludes: ‘Yuk, I fell in love.’ It’s undoubtedly meant to sound ironic, but comes across as a harsh way to start a supposedly romantic story.

Even worse, by his telling, the delightful Maddie turns out to come from a family of Western Australian bogans, and Jayasinha wheels out all the stereotypes he holds against them. Although eventually, he is won over by their hospitality – and especially by his partner’s cute niece.

It’s here that Jayasinha sews seeds for the more appealing parts of the show, raising questions of prejudice and identity. He explores his own later, finding that after 18 years in Australia he no longer feels fully Sri Lankan – until he started cooking curries on TV and found he reconnected him with his culture. When this, and the affecting love story that this show should have been, come to the fore the humour steps up a level, more genuine and flecked with appealing self-deprecation.

But then we slip back into trite observations about dressing down when you work from home and a lengthy chunk about sucking your own dick, which is in the same thematic ballpark as Bill Hicks’s classic routine on the topic, but not nearly as classy.

The hour feels blighted by the comedian's fear of sincerity. When he allows himself to be honest, he has us engaged and amused. But too freely he slips into lazy gags, which is not only a turn-off, but also seems less convincing. Will the real Dilruk Jayasinha please (do) stand-up?

• Dilruk Jayasinha: Dil’icious is at the Forum at 6.30pm from tomorrow until Saturday, then 5.30pm on Sunday.

Review date: 18 Apr 2022
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Melbourne International Comedy Festival