Two years after his debut Australian tour, Jimmy Carr returned to Hamer Hall with a brand new exhibition of transgressive gags, as well as a masterclass in sparkling repartee.
Carr’s fearlessness must be admired: everything was fair game, from Oscar Pistorius to paedophilia. Notably, though, his penchant for dark humour and disregard for political correctness came as great relief. Through Funny Business, Carr offered permission to simply relax for an evening. He provided a two-hour window for people to loosen up on all things heavy and heinous. Admittedly, that is the somewhat romantic take on things – in reality, audience members frequently found themselves doubled over in fits of discomfort, laughing into their palms, struggling to come to terms with a morally-questionable punchline. Funny Business was certainly not for the faint-hearted or easily-offended. It pays to keep in mind, as the rest of Hamer Hall did, that Carr is only ever kidding. It certainly helps that Carr not only has an excess of charisma, but specialises in extremely well-crafted jokes. There’s an evident lean towards misdirection and surprise, as well as expert wordplay. He not only favours a rapid fire approach to gags, but boasts an impressive strike rate. The only chore is finding an opportunity to catch your breath.
Carr’s razor-sharp repartee with the audience accounted for some of the highlights. “I know the jokes and I’ve rehearsed them…20 % of the show has got to be me messing around with the audience,” explained Carr in his recent interview with Beat Magazine. Sure enough, Carr’s willingness to introduce an element of chaos yielded great results. Few resisted the invitation to message his phone directly, Carr sifting through his overflowing inbox post-interval. This was complemented by patches of audience banter, as well as the odd heckle here and there. The fact that Carr actually relishes a good heckle seemed understood, his audience wasting little time before imposing themselves on the show. Often, when people seized their moment, hilarity ensued. Naturally, Carr wrestled with more than a few nonsensical interjections throughout the evening too, the UK comic forced to desperately pan for comedy gold. True to his reputation, though, he proved himself quick-witted and skilled enough to roll with just about anything.
Funny Business was a substantial show overall, clocking in at roughly two hours, with enough variety to keep things interesting and amusing. Cool, calm and in control, Carr successfully charmed Hamer Hall with his lovable scamp magnetism and hilarious devil-may-care material.
BY NICK MASON
