Canberra Reviews

You might notice some unusual things happening while Adam Hills is on tour with his Inflatable show. Strangers might smile at you in the street for no apparent reason. Shop assistants might ask ‘how are you?’ and genuinely seem to care. Telemarketers might even take notice when you tell them you're not interested. Don’t be concerned. These are all natural side effects of a show as uplifting as Inflatable making its way around Australia. 

Adam Hills is about to begin a run of performances at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, followed by a few dates at the Sydney Comedy Festival and shows in Hobart and Perth. If you can make it to one of these, don’t waver. Tickets are already scarce, and it’s far better to hear this material first-hand rather wait for the inevitable giggly recital at the office the next day.

Hills is of course best known for his work as the host of the ABC’s music quiz show Spicks & Specks. His on-stage persona is definitely less reserved, more prone to profanity, and isn’t at all concerned with sticking to a running time. It’s also clear that he’s been making people laugh for a long time, and that he still enjoys it immensely. At times, it was difficult to tell who was enjoying things more  – the audience or the man on stage.

To be fair, Hills didn’t have to try very hard to win over the audience at his first Canberra show. In fact, he didn’t even begin his own material for a good ten minutes, as the usual warm-up banter with the crowd turned into an extended session of riotous Q&A. Genuinely surprised by how well this was going, Hills suggested we let the show run overtime and make the 9pm audience sit on our laps. His ease behind the microphone, coupled with the enthusiasm of the crowd, created a comfortable, cosy atmosphere that lasted throughout the show.  

Hills’ humour has no particular theme, and meanders through stories from his life as a broadcaster, a comedian, and a guy who appreciates the strange and funny things that go on around him every day. If his punchlines are embellished, he hides it extremely well – there seems to be a genuine honesty to his tales that makes them all the more hilarious .

Sadly, we couldn’t actually stay to provide laps for the 9pm audience to sit on, and the laughs eventually had to come to an end. Dedicating the show to a friend who recently passed away, and basking in a standing-ovation with a slightly bittersweet smile on his face, Adam Hills was left with only one problem to contend with: how was he going to top that?


Adam Hills
Inflatable

Venue: The Playhouse, Canberra Theatre Centre
Dates/Times: Friday, 27 March 2009 @ 7:00pm & 9:00pm; Saturday, 28 March @ 7:00pm & 9:00pm
Duration: 75 minutes
Tickets: Adults: $38.00
Bookings: www.canberratheatre.org.au