Not unlike Jim Carrey, Rhys Darby’s malleable face and OTT expressions crack us up before he’s uttered a single word.
His physicality and sound effect work – Michael Winslow is “the only other guy that does it”, according to Rhys Darby – make him a cut above.
At the heart of it, The Legend Returns is a one-man sketch show. Darby changes voices and postures, hopping into different positions on stage to represent the characters in his skits – he plays them all.
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Thanks to his limber body and skinny stretch jeans, Darby’s impressions of a runaway Roomba, Hoverboard rider and Cybertruck bring the house down during this hour, which loosely contemplates the future of AI.
From physicalising his thoughts about going on an expedition to find the voicebox to turning the experience of walking into a room and forgetting what you’re there for into an Olympic sport for the over-50s, Darby’s material springs from the darndest of places.
“I looked it up the other day and I’m the same age as the Rubik’s Cube” – 10 minutes pass, and then another improved tangent is explored to the extreme. He delivers his material with curiosity, remaining open to unravelling any threads of comedic potential that may arise. Even when Darby occasionally gets tongue-tied, he readily takes the piss out of himself and chooses to roll with it.
Darby’s The Goodies-level ridiculous, madcap brand of standup is endorphin therapy. We snort, rock back and forth in our chairs and completely empty our tear ducts from all the cry-laughter. Our laughing gear gets a rigorous workout and we leave the Athenaeum feeling lighter. Darby is a comedy superhero.
Best bit: Live looping his own beatboxing (complete with sheep’s bleat).
Did you know? Darby played the role of Norman, Jim Carrey’s boss, in Yes Man.
Rhys Darby: The Legend Returns runs until 13 April at Athenaeum Theatre. Get your tickets here.
