Melbourne International Comedy Festival review

Is there a finer writer of jokes in Australia than Dan Rath? Probably not. 

His neurodivergent mind sees the world differently than most, with anything that offends his oddly angled logic providing seeds for his perfectly formed one-liners. 

Projecting an abject figure, he holds the lowest social status, teetering on the edge of mental collapse and with almost no agency against an overwhelming world. ‘Your favourite cuck’s favourite cuck,’ is how he describes himself with typical self-abasement. This exclusion from ‘normal’ behaviour means he’s not tied to established thinking, adding more unique perspectives fro distinctive comedy ideas such as his idea to cure PTSD ‘one letter at a time’ or his tips for the suicidal.

Perhaps it’s down to the growing acclaim that his work has attracted, but despite all this Rath actually CUT a much less wretched image than he used to. Not that you would ever mistake him for a successful man navigating the world with confidence. 

And while the perennially disorientated comedian makes typically back-foot jokes of how unrelatable his material is, many observations ARE rooted in the everyday – from Uber drivers to Grill’d – it’s just that his takes on them have emerged from a thought process like no other.

There is no ‘show’ to speak of, just one neatly packaged gem of an obtuse joke after another, with not a beat wasted in their writing or delivery. The only momentum is how the laughs keep coming from these exquisite offerings, delivered at a relentless lick. 

In some attempt to break up the material, he dabbles in audience interaction after a while. Even though he’s just asking simple questions, he depicts each conversation as a bewildering battle of wits in which he’s bound to be bested.  And, to be fair, he often is flummoxed by an unexpected response.  But when it comes to unique one-liners, Rath is peerless.

• Dan Rath: Help Me Please is at the Swiss Club at 9pm (8pm Sundays; no show Mondays) until April 19 and will be at Monkey Barrel Comedy (Cabaret Voltaire) during the Edinburgh Fringe.

Review date: 8 Apr 2026
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Melbourne International Comedy Festival