Someone get this man a TV show. Gavin Baskerville has got a serious case of the smarts, a condition that only the best comedians suffer from. On top of his big brain, Baskerville has a moral compass and isn’t afraid to use it.
Aptly titled Crunch Time, Baskerville’s latest show is about a society in decline, at the precipice of stuffing up the human race forever. It’s also, funnily, about potato chips. Potato chips and environmental and political calamity go oddly well together. Who knew? (Gavin did.)
Baskerville is a seasoned comedian, and you can tell. He tells stories and one-liners simultaneously so you find yourself laughing for the entire show. (Be prepared in Crunch Time, though, for a five minute wake-up call towards the end where Baskerville lays it all out for you – the bleakness of human existence – but don’t worry, just go with it.) These seamless segues and clever one-liners make for impressive stuff and a very fun show.
One of the best things about Crunch Time? Apart from belly-laughing for an hour, you actually come out smarter. Baskerville explains the origins of money, why we become less ethical and less tech-savvy as we get older, why the Australian political system is doomed to fail and why crowds are responsible for the downfall of the western world. If only I could have laughed my way through my formal education, how much more fun it would have been.
Baskerville says he’s a cynic, but I don’t agree. There’s a doozy of a feel-good story in the middle of all the politics, and the genuine way he interacts with his audience is a dead giveaway for a real people-loving person.
Baskerville has fast become one of my favourite comedians. With more exposure there’s no doubt he’d become one of Australia’s favourites. Like I said, someone get the man a TV show; it’s Crunch Time, Australia, and Gavin Baskerville might just have the answers.
Ta-Daa! Professional Entertainment
Crunch Time
Gavin Baskerville
Venue: Three Degrees | QV Square, Cnr Swanston & Lonsdale Sts, Melbourne
Dates: 9 – 20 Apr, 2013
Tickets: $10 – $18
Bookings: trybooking.com
Part of the 2013 Melbourne International Comedy Festival
