Damian Callinan Has Spaznuts
Note: This review is from 2006
Review by Steve Bennett
Sometimes it seems just about every medical condition known to science has been exploited for a comedy show, but here Damian Callinan bravely tackles one of the most taboo: impotence. And in the testosterone-driven Australian culture that – if you’ll excuse the expression – takes balls.But you can tell from the very title of the show, Spaznuts, that there’s going to be very little moping self-pity in this account. In fact, it’s done with such matter-of-fact good humour that you almost forget this is his genuine problem, not just a collection of rather splendid dick jokes.
The show starts outside the venue, where Callinan, a star of TV sketch show Skithouse, poses as a formidable fertility clinic nurse, threatening to collect samples from the men queuing to get in. Inside, he employs his talent for characterisation by setting up his account in the context of a support group, sharing his experiences with the camp Douglass and boastful Brian – each of whom represent different male responses to the potentially devastating news that they’re firing blanks.
So, in flashback, Callinan details his often humiliating treatment at the cold, cold hands of the medical profession, including such bizarre experiences as the orchodometer, a collection of little plastic pebbles for measuring plum size. Callinan cheerfully confesses that his are way down the scale.
This might seem like he’s sharing too much information, as he tries to elicit an uncomfortable shock reaction from the embarrassing processes he underwent, but it’s not. The whole account is pitched perfectly at a frank, mature, but still witty level , extract acting the jokes from the bizarre situations he encountered without the comedy ever feeling gratuitous or ikky. He is, as he’d need to be, a master of euphemism to avoid matters getting too graphic. His talents for getting the level right even manifest themselves in his impression of a mentally challenged relative, which manages to be affectionate rather than offensive.
Callinan’s impotence was a factor in the breakdown of his marriage, and it’s a stark realisation to come to that you will never have children. But he’s clearly accepted fate’s hand, making his tale almost inspiring. Primarily, though, it’s just damn funny.
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
May 2006
Review date: 1 Jan 2006
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
