Melbourne International Comedy Festival review

A best newcomer nominee at last year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival, New Zealand’s Ray O’Leary takes a forensic approach to his comedy.

He can do five minutes on the most mundane of subjects – bed linen, for example – by taking it apart from every angle. Just when you think there’s no more that can possibly be said on a topic, he’ll heap another five obtuse taglines on top.

Maybe his overthinking things is down to his otherwise useless philosophy degree, a qualification he mentions up top in a typically off-the-wall riff that starts with the worthlessness of his education and ends with a distinctive take on the ethics of abortion.

And while O’Leary – who dresses like the deputy manager of a regional dollar store – is clearly intelligent, he can also be dumb at the same time, a comedic asset as he pursues a line of logic regardless of how little the rest of the world cares about it. That’s what makes the routines so distinctive, whether addressing fade-outs in music or videoed funeral services.

Given his hairstyle, it’s apt that O’Leary loves a shaggy dog story, such as his flight of fantasy about depression in dogs that winds up as an echo of the Old Woman Who Swallowed A Fly.

 But there’s also a brisker list of mildly terrifying things in life, set up as  suggested warm-ups to prepare theme park customers for the adrenalin rush of a roller-coaster ride. And this may be the only time ‘adrenalin-rush’ and ‘Ray O’Leary’ appear in the same sentence, given his deep, deadpan delivery that feels like it’s being played out at 0.75x speed.

There’s a reassuring rhythm to that cadence, which ensures his gags are excellently timed. He gives audiences just enough time to think about where he might be going before wrong-footing them another unexpected turn. 

A gifted writer with that delivery that makes crowds lean in to listen, O’Leary’s living up to this show’s title and fast becoming a very strong comic indeed.

Review date: 11 Apr 2024
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Melbourne International Comedy Festival