Yianni: The Simpsons Taught Me Everything I Know| Lazy Susan’s Comedy Den | Feb 10 – 14, 20 – 21 | ★ ★ ★
I’m sure everyone has a favorite quote from The Simpsons they refer to in certain situations, I know I do. So with this in mind I was excited to see how Yianni, the Australian expatriate, who now resides in London, would work 27 seasons of only the best Simpsons quotes into a physical performance.
Lazy Susan’s Comedy Den (Inside The Brisbane Hotel) was sold out, with many of the eagerly awaiting crowd, discussing amongst themselves, their own favorite Simpsons quote, before the show commenced.
Comedian Yianni, a slightly disheveled, 28 year old ex-lawyer, struck me as the sort of person who did nothing else, except watch old Simpson’s reruns; but credit where credit is due, Yianni knew his stuff. His ability in retaining full episodes of The Simpsons was quite impressive, complete with impersonations, ranging from Homer, to Mr. Burns, Yianni even dubbed over certain clips from the Simpsons with his own Mimicry of Simpsons characters, his Troy McClure impression is a definite highlight.
Political digs at Tony Abbott and Donald Trump (using certain Simpson’s characters), brought the crowd together, with a mutual dislike for both politicians. There was also a discussion of who was Perth’s version of Shelbyville (we all decided on Rockingham).
I found the show did not flow as well as it could have, Yianni would start telling a joke, but stop to explain certain elements. I find there’s nothing irritating when a comedian keeps explaining his jokes. Personally I think Yianni could have injected a little more innovation into his show.
Yianni: The Simpsons Taught Me Everything I Know, had its humorous moments, so I’ll be generous in rating the show a 3/5; I definitely think the Simpsons impersonations were the saving grace of the performance.
Yianni: The Simpsons Taught Me Everything I Know is at Lazy Susan’s Comedy Den February 10 – 14, 20 & 21. Tickets available from Fringeworld.com.au.
Matthew Spence
