Tom Gleeson
Tom-A-Thon
Nova Cinema
Until Sat 15 March


While Tom Gleeson may not intentionally set out to shock, there's just that little bit of naivety in his delivery that makes you just want to embrace his stories as if he was just a mate telling you how his day has been.

Not too much is sacred, though such is life and by paying the ticket price I guess we did ask the question 'How's your year been Tom?'. The immediate answer is interesting; for not only has Gleeson married his partner of over ten years after her surprise beachside proposal, he's also found out that his oldest brother is gay. And to top things off, after many visits here to Adelaide in the past he finally got to try some Farmer's Union Iced Coffee. Whether or not that last topic arises in future shows depends on what else happens in the meantime, it's Gleeson's natural free flowing chummy approach to his comedy that automatically sets him at ease with his audience.

Sure, people get married all the time and much to his dismay, for overall comedy sake that is, his big day went smoothly and according to plan - even if it was attended by a redhead hating psychopath who's happily awaiting his kind's extinction by genetic recession. And who else can relay a simple laddish walk home from a pub crawl into a moment of self confessional homophobic revelation?

Things don't have to slap Gleeson in the face for him to realise that often it's the simpler things in life (like paternal justification for nailing teddy bears to trees) that are the funniest. He has a science degree, and it's by masterfully blending that pragmatic side of his personality with his quietly absurd view of life that makes you just want to nod and smile along with every word. A definite highlight not only for Fringe 2008, but also from past events and without doubt many more festivals to come.

Steve Jones