Joe White brings all the elements of a comedy show you would come to expect. His back and forth with the crowd showcases his comedic skills with call backs to previous jokes. When those are references to things that audience members have previously said, you can’t help but respect the skill is it unravels in front of you. While he has played huge venues to crowds of up to 2000, there is something cool about seeing him in an intimate venue at fringe. It’s not as easy to heckle and put his skills to the test in a massive venue.
With jokes about refugees, his ethnicity, and growing up in Perth suburbs, it’s relatable and easy to consume comedy. This is the kind of stuff you might not necessarily hear in a Netflix special, but that’s not the point. If you want to see a comic who has clearly walked the walk and honed his craft, then this is the kind of fringe show you won’t regret drunkenly stumbling into on a night out.
If you don’t want to try and figure out what gives a Fringe show it’s sizzle factor, or can’t really be bothered with the concept entirely, then this show can provide a straightforward expectation. It’s not trying to be controversial or shocking. It’s just well-presented stand-up that does what good comedy should do – deliver laughs without punching down. A classic example is in a bit he delivers about going to Centrelink with his Mum and 5 siblings shortly after arriving in Australia as refugees from Ethiopia. I’m not going to ruin the punchline, but I will tell you that even if you can’t relate to his experiences as a refugee, he curates his jokes well to include elements that will relate to the audience without having to alienate anyone.