White Trash
Imperial Hotel, March 29 April 9, 2013
Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Stars: ***
Reviewer: Kate Herbert on March 29
Review also published online in Herald Sun on Sat March 30. KH
"Makes ya laugh then makes ya think– about racism."
If you’ve ever engaged in a bit of
“casual racism”, intentionally or thoughtlessly (Yeah, I’m talking to you!),
then Xavier Toby will make you laugh, then make you reconsider your position.
Toby is a charming, slightly gauche,
Aussie bloke, sporting a plaid shirt and jeans, slightly spiky, blonde haircut
and a whiter-than-white grin to beat Shane Warne’s bleached choppers – but
Toby’s pearly whites look natural.
His social circles shift between his
“white trash bogan” mates and his “trendy trash”, hipster-cool pals, but both
groups have their own issues surrounding racism, Toby says.
Straddling such diverse cultures can
be a political minefield and Toby embarks on a comedy analysis of racism to
challenge even the most politically incorrect bogan – and those annoying bleeding
hearts who consider even the word “racism” to be racist.
He’s done his research on his mates,
his family, current affairs TV, Asian launderettes (Is that racist?) and even
referred to books: “It’s like the internet … only it’s true.”
He sets out to prove that all people
should be judged on their characters, not their race or skin colour, and he
uses penguins – they’re black and white – as the perfect example to
prove his point.
He takes the issue of racism seriously
but makes us laugh with clever observations about bogans, trendoids and racists,
his self-deprecating humour and diversions into relationships, media misuse of
language – and vacuum cleaners. Don’t ask!
Toby – who looks a lot like a scruffy Eddie Perfect before TV cleaned him up – is passionate and engaging and
he gets laughs while making a compelling political point.
Long live the political comic!
By Kate Herbert
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