Barrington’s authoritative drawl is his calling card as a comic performer. Essentially, Barrington’s languid delivery accounts for one aspect of a carefully crafted persona. Combined with a dazed stage demeanor and a look bringing together Ringo Starr and Bono, Barrington resonates as a too-cool-for-school comedy character. It’s easy to imagine Barrington relaxed within a leather armchair, brandishing scotch, such is the casual and methodical nature of his character.
Barrington’s character cleverly informs the pace of his routine, the evening unfolding in a calm and collected manner. As such, the show does demand a degree of patience and anyone after snappy payoffs or flurries of punchlines might find One Character Or Less frustrating. Indeed, the show does struggle in its opening minutes, but once Barrington settles and the audience adjusts and begins to appreciate his unique, relaxed style, One Character Or Less does find its groove.
Barrington indulges in bouts of whimsical comedy, spruiking tomato jam, unpacking the ‘book-adaptation’ of a classic film trilogy and overseeing the fusion of Shakespeare with contemporary rap. It seems there’s always something enjoyably offbeat brewing within Barrington’s routine and it’s fun being strung along through his frequently silly, sideways look at the world. While not an explosively laugh-out-loud affair – more a show to provoke nervous tittering and chuckling – One Character Or Less is nevertheless enjoyable, establishing Barrington as an intriguing and refreshing stand-up performer.
