By Peter Rowsthorn (With Simon Rogers, Ross
Daniels, Robin Butler)
Last Laugh Theatre
Restaurant, Aug to Sept 1996
Reviewed by Kate
Herbert around Aug 21, 1996
Peter Rowsthorn has
been doing stand-up comedy around town for about ten years or more and he's
still funny even when he's doing old material. It's his physical humour which
makes him standout.
If you don't know him, Rowsthorn is a bit of a local Jim
Carrey with his rubbery face and body, fast patter, silly accents and
impressions. His stage persona is more
than a little wired pushing him to the edge of incomprehensibility and
vibrating goofiness.
Rowsthorn conjures up Australian images of 40 degree
Melbourne summer days running barefoot on burning asphalt or towel-hopping over
200 degree sand. He muses at beach fashion changes. The coolites at Middle Park
beach now posture and pose in G-string, bum-hugging bathers that once were just
called "wedgies" and Slip, Slop, Slap and Osh Kosh have replaced the
token stripe of zinc cream on a nipper's nose.
The TV trivia quiz drew the refreshingly uninebriated
Wednesday comedy night audience into Rowsthorn's warm circle. Audience is
divided in two to compete for points answering questions about Mr. Ed, Lost In
Space and that fabulously eccentric Japanese show, Monkey - with a few side
references to my childhood fave, Shintaro.
His impression of E.T., complete with tubby tummy and
flapping arms, is still hilarious as is his finale routine about the Royal Show
and Luna Park. Chucking up on the Rotor and shrieking on the now defunct Big
Dipper ride are terrific examples of his wild, nervy physical comedy.
It's the warmth and charm of Rowsthorn which works for him.
Even when the material lets him down, he is able to keep charming the audience
and send them home happy and cosy and all laughed out.
KATE HERBERT
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