The stories start with perfectly legitimate observations which quickly descend into wonderfully silly imaginings in which Darby shows off his knack for mime and absurd sound effects. He effortlessly engages the crowd in his madness, so much so that when prompted to join in on an impersonation of an anthropomorphised Roomba robot vacuum cleaner, they did so with glee. At the show’s climax, he is able to draw each thread together perfectly. Such entertaining storytelling proves that there are some things AI cannot do, especially when it comes to making art; the sort of whimsical creativity that Darby displays is very human.

With this masterful ability to command his audience, made especially evident with a full standing ovation in the 750 seater, it would be impossible to argue that Rhys Darby hasn’t earned legendary status in the comedy scene.

*****

Reviewed by Naimh O’Hara

Pleasance Grand

21.20 to 22.20

Until 10th August