The Classic
May 21-26 (Akld) | Reviewed by Jacob Powell

HOW DOES someone with their mouth taped shut make you laugh? Is it through the kind of physical comedy reminiscent of old-time silent movies? God, please don’t let it be an hour or so of straight mime!

But dammit if Sam Wills doesn’t amble out onto stage on the opening night of his show, The Boy With Tape On His Face, dressed in a broad horizontal striped top that instantly puts you in mind of a French mime! That his accompanying (and routine filler) music was the soundtrack to the Jean-Pierre Jeunet film Amélie reinforced this association.

But Wills has taken the challenge of reworking mime by the horns to produce a show that is fresh, entertaining, and has an obvious point of difference to many of the other acts at this year’s festival. Oh yeah, and along the way he actually does manage to reference many of the great silent performers (Charlie Chaplin, Marcel Marceau, and Michael Jackson!). His mannerisms speak of naughty, boyish charm laced with occasional pensive moments. He sets up a microphone, in an obvious manner tapes his mouth shut, and the show begins.

The main downstairs of The Classic was at near capacity for Wills’ Auckland opener and it wasn’t long before the whole room was in the thrall of this young comic. Point to note: don’t sit in sight of the stage or at some point in the affair you’ll find yourself on it! The “taped boy” utilises the audience to maximum effect. Almost every sketch involves him grabbing a random viewer and putting them in an unusual situation – much to the amusement of everyone else. For the most part he is quite clever with his tricks and doesn’t go too hard on the crowd; most people come away with their dignity and a smile.

So engaging was Wills’ routine that he managed to milk the same gag four times dressed different ways – literally “dressed” different ways. The gag that is, not Wills. This well known visual gag is the one where you create a fake set of lips with some likely props then use them to ‘talk’ or ‘sing’. Wills’ employed props as diverse as a pair of what looked like plastic chopsticks and an envelope, through to a pair of black dress shoes to create amusing impressions of Stevie Wonder, the aforementioned Michael Jackson, and other artists. The third time round I began to think “again?!” but Wills allayed my fears and brought back the laughs with an easy flick of a scarf or attachment of a small afro wig. Brilliant!

Another running gag involved a rubbish bin to stage left, in which Wills deposited used disposable props. Each time he opened the bin it was spotlighted, and the music suddenly cut, only to be replaced by that soulful wooer of New Zealand grandmothers: John Rowles, intoning “Cheryl Moana Marie”. At first, the bunch of overseas comics in the row behind me were a little confused – not getting the local reference – but were soon won over by Wills’ skilful manipulation of this straightforward comedic device. And this was emblematic of the night’s proceedings; Wills takes a number of recognisable sight gags, which could have been a bit tired in lesser hands, and uses them to great effect.

I don’t want to go into too many other specifics as I don’t want to put too many spoilers out there. Suffice to say, at The Boy With Tape On His Face Sam Wills ‘has’ the audience from start to finish. And though this show is not always a full-on laugh fest, it is a great night’s entertainment and well worth getting along to.

For full programme, venue and show details on this and other Comedy Festival events, visit comedyfestival.co.nz.