Sam Campbell @ Assembly Roxy

Sam Campbell's show is something of a mixed buffet and divides the audience at Roxy.

Review by Sophia Shluger | 10 Aug 2016

Young Australian comedian Sam Campbell provides relentless sarcasm, run-on jokes that miss the mark and crowd work that over-reaches – it makes for an oddly hodgepodge hour of comedy.  It’s perhaps still too experimental for the stage, even the multimedia part; an intentionally low quality slideshow (probably inspired by comedian Demetri Martin) just feels a little too homemade and gimmicky. When that doesn’t deliver, Campbell resorts to a climb through the audience and an awkward disrobing.

That said, some moments are digestible: a clever mum vs dad song (introducing a concept of ‘enemy dad’) brings some much-needed laughter, as does a foray into rearranging human anatomy. Other notable stories – for instance, a failed attempt to hide a cat – are refreshingly clever, and it's a disappointment when they're left unfinished.

There are some tonight who find certain elements of Campbell’s pseudo-slapstick style hilarious rather than excessively erratic: he does have potential. Overall though, tighter transitions and less intra-joke interjections would help with flow and might make for a less disjointed hour.


Sam Campbell: The Last Dreamer, Assembly Roxy (Downstairs), 3-28 Aug (not 15), 8.15pm, £7-12

http://www.edfringe.com