Simon McKinney does an excellent, pitch-perfect drunken burp. He also breathes new life into tiresome jokes about farts, something he calls "spiritual landmines".
It might sound like puerile stuff, but McKinney's show Land of the Long White Clown, which takes a loving look at New Zealanders' quirks, is
clever.
He finds funny things in everyday situations which are based on his own experiences here and overseas.
McKinney, one of this year's Billy T Award nominees, is a comedian on the up and it's apt he's playing at the Classic Studio, an intimate space upstairs from its big brother venue. This is the best place to see comedy because it gives you the feeling you're on to something new, and McKinney delivers.
During the one-hour show there are kids hooked up to Fanta drips and popping M&Ms; a yarn about some "brutal" kids giving him the bash when he was dressed up as a Jeff Wilson mascot; and McKinney, who it has to be said looks like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth, also pokes fun at old people.
So he exaggerates sometimes, like when he asks us if we've ever been attacked by an old person. He reckons there's a secret sisterhood of old ladies who cake themselves in makeup and then terrorise young people for fun.
But it's his impressions that are the highlight. From real people like the lovely old digger who runs Dunedin radio station 4XD, or his man-hating high school history teacher Mrs X, to Star Wars characters like Yoda, Han Solo and, best of all, his posh and creepy Obi-Wan who mixes up his light sabre with sex toys.
His best is saved for last when he mimics the late-night taxi dispatch person whom he describes as "an angry, irate lady with a small, tight mouth".
McKinney may not leave you in stitches from beginning to end but his impressions are brilliant.
