There’s no overarching theme here, just a running list of thoughts and views from Schuller. They feel like the kind of weird and random ideas you’d say with your mates at the pub, except these aren’t the kind of thoughts most people are having. That’s because Schuller’s brain seems to operate on its own unique frequency.
Schuller shares a story about Genghis Khan, a ridiculous joke regarding the national outrage sparked by some creative liberties with a croissant and a quiche, and the confusion that arises when a friend in the army asks him for his “body count”. It’s all very silly, but consistently very funny. You get the sense he’s enjoying himself when he lets a few smiles, and even a laugh, slip through during the routine. It’s also refreshing how little he appears to be interested in pushing for bigger reactions. The set is content to sit in its own rhythm, and that commitment to restraint becomes part of its appeal.
An especially left-field moment involves the appearance(?) of drug-addicted ghosts haunting the Trades Hall with a lighting change and pre-recorded audio marking the most performative Schuller gets. Otherwise, he stays planted, casually firing off jokes. But when the reason the ghosts are there is finally revealed, it pays off nicely.
Dry Thing, Therefore Dry Am is a tightly controlled 40 minutes of persistently funny material, built on Schuller’s deadpan delivery and offbeat logic. The laughs come steadily rather than in big bursts, but his command of timing and pacing keeps everything moving with quiet confidence.
SHOW DETAILS
Venue: Trades Hall, Cnr Lygon & Victoria Sts, Carlton
Season: until 19 April | Thurs - Tues 8:30pm, Sun 7:30pm
Duration: 40 minutes
Tickets: $27 Full | $22 Conc | $20 Tightarse Tuesday
Bookings: Melbourne International Comedy Festival
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