Ola the Comedian: The Comedian and His Future Wife

Review by Ben Venables | 28 Aug 2014

At the beginning of the show, Ola the comedian spends an unusual amount of time in idle banter with the audience. He's interrupted twice during the next hour by univitied confessions from private individuals. One confession is almost at random – about an envy of other women's shoes. He is a man you feel you could tell a secret to. Quiet like a therapist, Ola invites confidences.

This is an autobiographical show with a novelistic delivery in the meanderings and subplots. At the end, it becomes clear how well this has done with various callbacks. His travels, friendships and hopes to find love – the themes for the show – are all woven together close to the end. 

The problem with this technique and Ola's soft delivery is that it requires the full hour to appreciate what he's crafting. And much of the time it feels that he is coasting on his vast supply of amiability. It's inadvertent, but it comes across as lacklustre. And it's a shame because there is a careful and clever delivery underneath.

Ola should not abandon this technique. It just hasn't quite worked out, at least on this soggy Tuesday night. But, if perfected around a few hooks throughout the show to avoid drift, it would define him as the talented comedian he is.

Ola the Comedian: The Comedian and His Future Wife @ Espionage, 1-24 Aug, 7.30pm, free