Dave Thornton: A Different Type Of Normal
Live Review

Well, Dave Thornton’s certainly captured the mood of the festival, joining the crowd of comics talking about their relationship with their father led by award-winner Russell Kane.

This poignant, but never maudlin, material is just one strand in a rather uneven show. Another is his love of typography, of all things, which naturally makes for some geekily original material. Yet there is also a lot of filler, with over-familiar topics unoriginally covered.

Whatever the subject, though, this breezy Australian makes for an engaging guide, with an enviable ease on stage. He is a truly natural performer.

His broad observational shtick covers such old favourites as how people react when they trip in the street, the effects of aging mean men lose hair from their head only for it to start sprouting elsewhere else, and a literal interpretation of the inspirational motif ‘live each day as if it were your last’. All these, and more, have been covered before, and better.

Yet the family sections are heartfelt, and all the better for it, as Thornton paints a vivid picture of the sort of, erm, character his Dad was. The quirky typeface material adds a dash of visual comedy; while a few personal anecdotes, such as his time working with slow-witted Aussie celeb Sophie Monk, nudge up the gag count.

It’s a shame that the other half of the show is so unexcitingly workmanlike, as Thornton certainly brings a dash of class to the more distinctive material.