Guy Williams is about seven foot tall, dressed in a suit, and delivers punchlines like a man trying to outrun his own brain.
His stream-of-consciousness style builds and builds until it hits a peak, punctuated by a guttural AAAHHH that’s become something of a signature.
He jokes about people asking him after the show whether he’s okay. He jokes about a reviewer calling him an intimidating presence. He jokes about being a lefty cuck. The delivery is frenetic, bordering on unhinged energy, but the material underneath is razor sharp and surprisingly edgy.
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So sharp, in fact, that he has the confidence to leave out possibly his best joke — a poignant zinger about welcome to country self-congratulation that absolutely destroyed at the MICF gala. It takes a seasoned comic to bench their strongest bit because they assume the audience has already seen it. To be fair, he didn’t need it.
What sets this show apart is something comics so often fumble: a genuine perspective with a thorough through-line. Williams wants to make a real point about world politics without ever tipping into lecture mode. The six-second rule between laughs is a cross most political comics struggle to bear, but he meets it with aplomb.
The basketball shooting finale is a stroke of genius. Not enough comics break up a set this effectively, and the payoff is worth the buildup alone.
Judging by the packed room and the volume of the response, he won’t have much trouble selling out the rest of his lengthy run. Get tickets here.
