FRINGE REVIEW: Amos Gill hits the nail on the head with 'Almost Famos'
It’s a very specific brand of Australian humour that lets comedian Amos Gill shine, and has the crowd in knots with each punchline.
In fact, it’s stand-up comedy that can only be described as ‘home-brand’. Mix in some good old Aussie stereotypes, modern first-world issues, family woes and a deep-seated need for validation, and we have Fringe World’s brilliantly crafted show Almost Famos.
Despite my initial reservations about the act — and feeling like a bunch of tinned sausages in the packed Casa Mondo venue of Yagan Square — Amos arrived with absolutely no qualms to be shown. Revealing the start of an intimate narrative into his earlier life, he eased us in by detailing his private school antics and the trials of moving across the country to Peppy Grove.
Initially, it might be thought that Amos was going to rely on cheap jokes about typical Perth tropes, but his autobiographical comedy soon picks up and gets increasingly deeper. As an excellent storyteller, he takes us around the world to his current life in the US, while brandishing a top-class American accent. From detailing encounters with porn stars to ever-present mummy issues, he finds a way to hilariously tie things back to his elusive pursuit for success.
Mid-set, we are even treated to gold with analogies so dirty and remarkable you feel guilty for laughing at them. He carries through with a incredible type of satire — the kind where anti-environmentalism meets asphyxiation and the argument against condoms — and strangely, it’s totally okay. Perhaps one of his best cut-throat jokes, however, is comparing his mum to a fixer-upper property in Mount Lawley. (Funnier in person, I assure you.)
By the end of it, we are all roaring and rooting for Amos, hoping to see the offcuts of his life finally stripped off. We are hoping to see him liberated from his past. Yet, the comedian teaches us one or two very important lessons: that things don’t always go the way you intend, and that is all the more reason to laugh life off for its imperfect bits.