He’s been touring Oz for 20 years now and I’m ashamed to admit this is my first-ever Danny Bhoy gig.
Danny is funny AF and also quite possibly the hottest man in comedy, which certainly doesn’t suck. He’s a master of observation and impersonation as well; heck, we don’t even mind Danny’s Australian accent attempts (eg. “tray-dee”). And his bit comparing the distant sounds of two Aussie blokes having a drunken argument to tuning an old transistor radio is top-notch, too.
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Other memorable topics include percentages suddenly appearing on the front of chocolate bars (“The higher the percentage, the worse it tastes!”), food stockpiling (“Noah [biblical figure who built The Ark] was the ultimate stockpiler”) and a suggestion that the Taliban could’ve been enlisted to better enforce public health directions during lockdown. After one particular ripsnorter, Danny jests, “I took the week off when I wrote that!”
As he recalls attempting to accept a mattress delivery during Scotland’s “very hard lockdown”, during which they weren’t allowed to let anyone inside their houses (except during an emergency), Danny’s impeccable comic timing is on full display. His knack for storytelling is second to none and the narrative arc dovetails so satisfyingly here!
Elsewhere, Danny ponders how weird the pando must’ve been for zoo animals, particularly of the “showbiz” variety (eg. penguins) and his giraffe impersonation needs to be experienced to be believed. Danny is a cheeky chappy who revels in the ridiculous – his imagined first draft of Queen Elizabeth II’s final Christmas Broadcast is side-splitting, but also respectful and sweet – however his material is never crass, which is super-refreshing.
We’ll be returning for repeat doses of Danny’s classy brand of laughter therapy at every available opportunity from hereon in.
Best bit: Danny’s claim that the incorrect choice of potato chip flavour can potentially ruin a family package holiday abroad, especially when you only have a bizarre picture on the packet to go by. His specific example of “a random cartoon like a badger on a skateboard” with a speech bubble reading, “Yum-yum bueno” – “Whaddaya MEAN, ‘Yum-yum bueno’! What do you taste like, for fuck’s sake?” – makes us absolutely lose our shit (see below).
Number of legit LOLs: His aforementioned “Yum-yum bueno” bit unleashed such debilitating cry-laughter that my nextdoor neighbour in the crowd – a complete stranger – leaned in to conduct a welfare check.
Audience participation: Danny’s ability to remember the names of audience members he’s engaged with, and referring back to them throughout his show, is *chef’s kiss*. After admitting he feels sorry for the younger generation because they’ve been impacted by three of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse – war (Ukraine), plague (Covid), famine (Brexit: “We’ve got no tomatoes in the UK!”) and death – over the past five years, Danny’s regular check-ins with 15-year-old Xavier are particularly adorable on this occasion.
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