Pinky Von Sox And The Novel Stand-Up Experience By David P Tieck Jr. A Novel. The Show comedy review: Rambly improv
David Tieck blurs the line between literature and live comedy in a quirky, self-aware show where stand-up and storytelling collide
Absolute plonker, friend to felines and foxes but not fallopian tubes, and one much-loved Fringe act Two Little D*kheads, David Tieck returns to Adelaide with an improvised hour of rambly-shambly comedy. The premise, despite the length of the title, is actually simple. Brilliantly-brilliant author David P Tieck creates a new novel on stage every night, a box-fresh story featuring favourite lead character Pinky Von Sox, improvised based on a couple of random book synopses gathered from the audience.
It’s both an intriguing start and a tall order: improv is already a difficult beast but solo improv takes it to another level. Tieck is armed only with a microphone, some silly voices and a back-of-the-room editor who drops in to give some helpful notes. Yet he somehow pulls together a story that not only makes sense but also brings the laughs, even if we can sometimes see the cogs turning. Perhaps a bigger crowd than comes with an early slot on a quiet Tuesday is needed, or maybe improv really is a dish best served family style.
That said, Tieck knows his stuff and when he flies, he flies, with ridiculous whimsy, word play, plot holes, absurd situations and, naturally, a happy ending. This show is for anyone who wishes their audiobooks would come out to play; Tieck’s legions of fans will surely lap it up.
Pinky Von Sox And The Novel Stand-Up Experience By David P Tieck Jr. A Novel. The Show. continues at The Crawford Room at the Courtyard of Curiosities at the Migration Museum until March 1; picture: Nick Doolan.