Pommy Johnson – Original Review
Note: This review is from 2008
Review by Steve Bennett
A friendly, blokey Australian, Pommy Johnson is little more than your standard, mainstream act for the Jongleurs/corporate circuit.He knows how to work an audience, for sure, and that’s a skill that’s always going to be in demand. But while he’s sure to get laughs, he does so with some of the broadest material around.
He serves up the gags and attitudes the mob expect – an approach that will disappoint anyone hoping for comedy that offers distinctive material from an individual point of view.
Any heckle, for example, is greeted with any one from the list of standard put-downs you can hear from countless comics on the same circuit. And unreconstructed mentions of ‘poofs’ add an air of lazy homophobia as he again panders to that mob, rather than engaging or challenging them. His CV also boasts of song parodies, and although none were on show on the night Chortle saw him, it’s easy to see how this would fit easily into his crowd-pleasing repertoire.
There’s no denying Johnson does what he does very effectively, and with no small amount of jokey charm. But the finished product seems too bland and unenlightening to really hit the spot.
Review date: 2 Jul 2008
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
