Downstage, Herald Theatre
May 16-20, 30-June 3 | Reviewed by Ewan Kingston

THE FIRST TIME I went to see Raybon Kan (patience, I'll get round to The Four Noels, but if we compliment the Aussies first, they’ll get a big head, see?) was a minor revelation. The guy was cracking up something wicked in his own set: sometimes, he could barely deliver a punch line because he was laughing too much. It was super, and I realised, despite what I had been told all my life, it is okay to laugh at one’s own jokes. To watch good comics enjoying themselves is quite a pleasure. Primitive by The Four Noels is quite a pleasure.

The Four Noels are three funny men. I can't remember their names, but they sang them to me, accompanied by those vital comedic implements – the ukulele and the coconut-halves. Their set is made of eight sections, and is a mixture of scripted skits and improvisation. At one point they even try and do what "those stand-up guys do" and "talk to people".

The show interacts with the audience in a different way however. They often let us in on the joke we're up here making fools of ourselves, not making much sense, trying to make you laugh – how weird is that? Sometimes (skip to next sentence if you're intellectually sensitive) I found myself laughing at the absurdity of the very nature of comedy. The lab coats and the European accents are funny too.

From the self-reflexive heights, there are schoolboy lows. I was disappointed by an over reliance on weak toilet humour, even scatological mime, and a somewhat tiresome parody of children's superhero adventure shows (now there's a challenging target!)

But Primitive generally hit the funniest bones, with a wooden spoon. Many characters, like the tense junkies and the comedy troupe of accident victims, were hilarious and their interactions with each other and us reaped warm laughs on a chilly night. If you like your comedy a little clever, a little crude and also self-referential, you could do worse than see The Four Noels.

For full programme, venue and show details on this and other Comedy Festival events, visit comedyfestival.co.nz.