Best known for his portrayal of hapless band manager Murray Hewitt in Flight of the Conchords, kiwi funnyman Rhys Darby brought his one-man show to De Montfort Hall last night to show that there's more to the man than the Murray.
And this he did with some style - his show was littered with various ways to show off his versatility as a performer, as if to form some sort of professional showreel of his numerous talents. There was character comedy, sound effects, plenty of movement and comedy dancing, funny stories, a little banter and a few impressions. This eclectic show was all held together by a slightly flimsy pretext wherein he has been saved from the end of the world and whisked off on a spaceship to continue the human race, and is prompted by an alien voice (provided on tape by Jemaine Clement doing his much-loved robot voice) to reflect on his life in order to figure out why he has been saved.
And thus, 'Rhysie' takes us on a journey through his life from his mischievous schooldays in the 'Dicks' gang, through his disco-dancing adolescence to his adult life with wife and kids. The material was part anecdotal, part observational, but always presented with warmth and humility, with the afforementioned sound effects and frequent mime and movement bringing each story to life and adding an extra dimension to the humour.
Despite his humble demeanour, Darby is a confident showman, and his one-man show proves that he is a highly versatile comic performer who has plenty more to offer in the future (although as a big Conchords fan I still can't help hoping to see him reprise his role as Murray at some point).
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