Tommy Dassalo: Out At The Pictures

Note: This review is from 2009

Review by Steve Bennett

Young Tommy Dassalo can spin a yarn all right, even if this show is ultimately a little too contrived to totally sweep you up in the narrative.

The tenuous central conceit links a few personal incidents to scenes in movies, under the pretence of exploring how his life has been influenced by Hollywood. But that idea always seems like an afterthought, rather than a concept he felt compelled to explore.

He as much as concedes the point towards the end of the show, but only after much of the audience has come to the same conclusion. Dassalo certainly wants to have his cake and eat it.

His stories, mainly of awkward teenage love, are sometimes strong enough to stand alone - especially the holiday to Fiji when he became embroiled in turbulent political events - but elsewhere he can over-egg their significance in an attempt to lend them weight they don’t always have. Perhaps he hasn't yet lived enough in his 22 short years.

That is, of course, how any semi-autobiographical fiction works, but Dassalo seems to be applying the rules of structure rather too obviously, and not always convincingly.

That’s not to undermine the enjoyability of most of the individual tales, which certainly engender sympathy in the audience, thanks in no small part to Dassalo’s vulnerability. He never quite gets the girl, and when he does strike an uncharacteristic blow in the perennial nerds vs jocks battle of the schoolyard, he’s racked by misplaced guilt .

As the geeks are increasingly dominate comedy, especially festival comedy, this is just one of several shows on similar themes and in similar style in Melbourne this month. So while it’s an entertaining way to pass an hour, it just can’t stand out against the competition.

Reviewed by:Steve Bennett
Melbourne, April 2009

Review date: 1 Jan 2009
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett

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