By Andra Jenkin

Artist: Paul Douglas

Date/Venue: Friday 17 May 2019 / The Vault, Q Theatre

Paul Douglas murdered on Friday night. If you’re not familiar with comedy lingo this may seem like a bad thing, but in the world of stand-up you either kill or die and killing is when you have the audience right where you want them, in absolute hysterics.

I’ve seen Paul perform in various locations, and he’s uniformly excellent.  He is able to get a full crowd at The Classic, or a rowdy band of drunken munters in Morrinsville, to laugh so I knew I’d be in for an impressive show with a master storyteller. But I didn’t realise just how funny his solo show, Fire Yarns, would be.  

At one stage, bent in two and in pain from laughter that wouldn’t let up, I looked down the row of people beside me and it looked like I was on a plane where everyone was assuming the crash position. They too were bent double, racked with laughter. I looked at the rows behind and sure enough, there were people clutching their stomachs, in the same posture, all over the audience. I guess you’ve got to kiss your arse goodbye when you’re about to die, and Paul Douglas was slaying us.

His gags are brilliant and his expressions epic. His rubber face can say more without words than most reviews are good for. He also does a great line in sound effects, which is impossible to impart in a written medium, so thanks for making my job harder Paul. You certainly made my night better.

There isn’t much to say about the set, the lights or his outfits. The Vault at Q Theatre contains rows of seats with a good view of a bare black stage, he is wearing a t-shirt and jeans and standing in a spotlight. There was a chair holding his drink. He drank from the drink occasionally. The show wasn’t about gimmicks and style; it was all about content and delivery. Douglas is a dude with a microphone being incredibly funny.

This was riotously funny. I’d not be surprised if they had to clean wee off the seats after the show.

At one stage he complained he never got reviews, and had nothing to put on a poster, which honestly, given his skill, seems a crying shame. Well, I was in the audience, hidden right in the open like a ninja, so here’s something he can put on a poster.

Paul Douglas is a gifted and hilarious comedian, talented, superb and truly masterful. One of the best shows I’ve seen at the comedy festival so far.