Dan Rath: Help Me Please comedy review – Nimble, edgy observations
The Australian comic returns to the Fringe with another hour of combative and surprising one-liners
Most comedians like to welcome their audience, get them comfortable and warm them up. Not Dan Rath. He goes out of his way to make the crowd feel as awkward as possible. Staring above our heads, he barely cracks so much as a wince. Justifying this risky, anti-comedy strategy is a sharp, neurodivergent mind jam-packed with quirky observational material, skewed with a nimble playfulness. There’s a real mixture of quality in Help Me Please, alongside a smattering of slightly edgy material that pushes the boundaries just a little. Few gags will tickle everyone but there’s always something new around the corner. ‘There’s no segues there,’ he remarks flatly as he handbrake-turns from one absurd subject to another. Much of the hour feels like workshopping, with Rath gauging the audience’s response to each joke and occasionally replying with sarcastic commentary.
While most of his observations are coloured by a unique worldview, he occasionally taps into concerns with broader appeal. An extended diatribe about bank-card fraud protection is wonderfully twisty and performed with uncharacteristic zeal. Towards the end of his set, Rath addresses the crowd directly for some of his trademark, deliberately stilted banter. In previous years, this gimmick has sparked a genuine frisson, but tonight’s audience is far too laid-back. Some even call out unsolicited remarks, prompting Rath to demonstrate his skill at dealing with oddballs and non sequiturs. This combative, deadpan style is certainly not for everyone, but fans of awkward comedy will find plenty to laugh at here.
Dan Rath: Help Me Please, Monkey Barrel Cabaret Voltaire, until 30 August, 6.40pm.