Review: Dave Gorman’s Powerpoint Presentation | Melbourne International Comedy Festival

There were a few comedians this comedy festival dusting off their computers and tapping away to present their audience with a Powerpoint presentation. So far they’ve been little more than a poorly integrated visual aid, a vaguely tedious distraction that did little but invoke the feeling that you were trapped in a business meeting that you paid entry for.

Dave Gorman’s Powerpoint Presentation could have gone this way, but instead it adds something special to the mix. ‘Presentation’ hardly does it justice. His stand-up is quality stuff – ranty, emotional, neurotic material. Add to this a well produced, visually stimulating powerpoint presentation. It isn’t just a visual aid or mental cues, it adds an extra layer to the comedy.

Propelled by his energetic delivery, Gorman delivers compound laughter in the form of jokes which without the visual aids, probably wouldn’t have the same impact – there’s only so much mileage that you can get out of lookalikes, phone displays and cribbing text from Wikipedia and Twitter without it.

Dave Gorman’s Powerpoint Presentation is a clever, well constructed show – using a generic Microsoft application to enhance your comedy routine is always going to be a bit of a risk, but he makes it look easy. So easy, in fact, that I bet there were a few audience members who walked away under the delusion that they’ve unlocked the key to making a boring office presentation more interesting.

Known for his big, elabourate stunts to form the basis of his shows, the Powerpoint presentation is perhaps Gorman’s most lowkey entry into stand-up as far as source material is concerned, but it gives the perfect platform for his comedic skill to shine.

Dave Gorman’s Powerpoint Presentation is on at the Forum, Tuesday – Saturday 7pm, Sunday 6pm, until April 22nd.

Tags: Dave Gorman, MICF, MICF2012

Categories: MICF2012, reviews

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