"Sick of satire? Tired of trivialities? Bored of bull?
"Then maybe Benny Boot's just what the proverbial doctor ordered.
"'Cause tonight's the first time I've seen this Aussie comic, and I'm praying to God it won't be the last either. For by Gad, he's good. He sprawls his sagging frame round the mic à la Alexei Sayle, lays back in a devil-may-care fashion à la Omid Djalili, then lays relentlessly into an act à la - ah, the comparisons would be endless. And probably pointless.
"'Cause like many a fine comedian, Benny has to be experienced in the flesh. Far from the trappings of telly, the uselessness of youtube, the romanticising of reviewers. The sec you try to explain it you lose it - you gotta see him as he eases his merry way through ridiculous routines, jerks his act about to jolly in the joke, meanders vaguely all over the place - till he hits you with a punchline that kicks serious ass.
"Mind you, Benny's not kickin' anyone. Unless provoked by hecklers, of course. He's too busy enjoying himself, and in today's poncey snidey circuit that is in itself a boon. He's relaxed and that means we can relax too - we can giggle as he sends up the situation, laugh as he makes light of East-West relations, smile smugly as he reiterates a running gag about his stuff being created by an - eek - Third World sweatshop.
God that sounds awful. But Benny Boot's set doesn't. Ever."
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