EATON ALIVE, according to the flyer, asks the question: if you could live forever would it be a blessing or a fate worse than death? By the end of the show, there is no resolution, no revelation and, although the show remains consistent to the theme, the question is only ever explored to a superficial level. However, comedy is about making an audience laugh and Jimmy certainly did that from start to finish.Jimmy James Eaton is a talented, intelligent, versatile comic in tune with his audience and what they want. He meandered between his tried and tested material, talking directly to the audience and commenting on the distracting pounding from the nightclub on the other side of a thin curtain, while continuing to involve the audience in his anecdotes and comedy.
His improvisation and impersonations are really his strength, but the biggest laughs came when he found the truth in a character, story or moment, such as during ‘the tram story’ which he related in a natural conversational style, as opposed to the more ‘acted, polished, rehearsed bits’, like the ‘public transport rap’ which was brilliantly executed, but seemed more contrived.
Jimmy has the potential to be a house-hold name in comedy in this country and I look forward to saying ‘I was there when he was forced to compete against Wham’s Wake Me Up Before You Go Go playing louder than we could laugh in the Club next door’.
Ben Russell, who supported Jimmy’s act, is another name to watch out for. In the five minutes we spent with him, his equally truthful, natural, likeable style won the audience over, adding value to Jimmy’s show and making it, overall, an entertaining night out.
Dogs Of Invention
Eaton Alive
Venue: Club F4 | Level 2, 322 Lt. Collins St (enter via laneway), Melbourne
Dates: 19th Mar - 30th Mar
Times: Tue-Sun 8.30pm
Duration: 55 minutes
Prices: Full $20, Conc $18
Bookings: At the door & online www.purplerooms.com.au/show/258/