From the moment Joel Dommett stepped onto the stage with his mop of perfectly tousled hair, handsome looks and frequently exposed midriff (one wonders if he sponsored by the makers of his trendy pants) he had the audience right in the palm of his hand. He held them there throughout the hour of his show.
Dommett’s humorous tales aren’t fall down funny, but it’s the way he delivers his material that really works. He often giggles whilst he’s working through his set and it is completely infectious; as an audience you are taken along on the tide of his mirth and cannot but help to laugh along regardless of the payoff, which isn’t always that hilarious.
The focus of his show is how he was contacted on a social network by his school bully and the ensuing correspondence thereafter. This subject is something many can relate to and Dommett delivers such cringe-worthy but endearing stories that one has a clear image of the bully and how Dommett coped as an adolescent. It’s fun, lively and laughable, but one suspects it wasn’t easy at the time. Add to the mix some larks in a Yoga class and highjinks at a Justin Beiber concert and there is a well rounded, highly entertaining show.
Dommett has matured as a performer a great deal since he first appeared on the Fringe and there’s no doubt that his career will continue to build successfully. His humour and material is cross generational and his metro-sexual image is perfect for today’s scene. Dommett’s show may not be hysterically funny, but it’s a great hour of fun. He has a natural charm and a talent for spinning a yarn.
