| Nice 'n' Easel | Michael Williams |
| Written by Simonne Michelle-Wells |
| Sunday, 12 April 2009 03:31 |
 Michael Williams is one of those guys you can’t help but like. He’s the sort of pudgy, geeky, bird-nest-haired guy that gets the gorgeous girl because he makes her laugh and because she feels sorry for him. I laughed a lot during the show, which says something about Williams’ material. In saying that, though, this is a show that needs more work. Williams’ geekiness seems bonafide and herein lies the problem. There’s a difference between playing the dork for laughs and laughing at a dork on stage, struggling to get through an hour of material. With Williams, the line is blurred and I found myself cringing at times, unsure if he was in control or not. Williams’ drawings are certainly the star of the show. They’re cleverly infantilized and he’s developed a wonderful balance between inane and super-nerd clever. (My robotics engineer genius brother-in-law would have roared at the Venn diagrams joke.) The whole idea for the show is wonderful; now it just needs better links between jokes and a stronger delivery. I was sitting behind two young, pretty girls in teenie shorts and teetering heels who clearly had no idea about Venn diagrams and couldn’t find the humour in zombie drawings made out of Easter egg wrapping, and left half-way through. Williams bided his time until the exact right moment to slip in an improvised joke about their departure that worked a treat and proved that his stand-up skills are not all about the easel. With more work, Nice ‘N’ Easel will be one of those shows that quietly creeps up on unsuspecting established acts and steals the limelight. Michael Williams Nice 'n' Easel Venue: Forum Theatre | Cnr Flinders & Russell Sts, Melbourne (Licensed venue. Under 18s must be accompanied by a Parent or Legal Guardian) Dates: 2 - 26 April Times: Tue-Sat 8.30pm, Sun 7.30pm Duration: 55 minutes Tickets: Full $19, Concession $16.50 Bookings: Ticketek 132 849 | at the door
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