GenQ
http://www.generationq.net/entertainment/festivals/arj-barker-new-and-improved-230482.shtmlArj Barker - New and Improved!
See Arj Barker at the NZ International Comedy Festival this April/May.
Arj Barker is a funny man. And not only because he did over an hour of material and only really pulled out a poo joke once. Anyone who was at his opening show tonight could easily have thought that despite the vehement denial that he was a stoner, Arj Barker was high on stage.
But for someone who isn’t especially familiar with his work (did you know he created Flight of the Conchords?!), it just could be that this demeanour is either a constant that accompanies his shows, or just how he deals with the stress of opening night of a comedy festival stint where you are trying to run with new material but can’t quite remember what came between the nephew joke and the sister joke.
I particularly liked the more fragile moments where he may have briefly forgot his next line, because after all, comedians are still human. A point Arj pushed to get across early was when he explained that he often gets stopped in the street and defined by his American citizenship, but deep down he’s just human, like everyone else.
Arj deals with lapses in concentration by going off on his own little tangent, which brought about some of the funniest jokes of the evening. His voice characterisation was intriguing and his delivery (often yelling across the room for emphasis, the microphone well away from his mouth as his arms swing through the air around him) allowed for a certain laid back, “we’re prepared for anything, say whatever” audience attitude.
One of the funniest jokes had to have been about the much debated and highly current ‘global warming’ issue. Without spoiling too much for those who wish to see the show, at first I was sceptical of Arj going near such a topic, particularly because he begins to negate global warming, and I am personally a bit of a tree hugger these days. But much to my surprise I was soon roaring in laughter as the joke takes a few unexpected turns. It’s certainly one to look out for.
Before I know it he was wrapping up and I realised the last 70 minutes went much too quickly. There’s a bit in it for everyone so grab a friend, partner or whole group and get down to the Auckland Town Hall to see this yank (I mean fellow human being) in action!