Nick Capper – Squirrel Comedy

5 Good Reasons to see Nick Capper in Tuxedo Traveller

1) I was made to travel non-stop through 8 countries aboard planes, buses, trains, taxis, ferries, tractors, motorbikes and even a paddle steamer, all while wearing a tuxedo and top hat. It was a crazy trip, and it will make you want to plan an adventure of your own.

2) My hallmark is my crazy unruly curly hair, but Russell Howard paid me 500 pounds to complete this trip with my hair straightened. I looked like Keith Urban goes to the Opera and it was honestly distressing.

3) During the Aussie leg of my Tuxedo Traveller escapades, I was cornered on a bus by a man guzzling white wine out of old coconut water bottles. It was one of the worst experiences of my life. But lucky for you, it made for a funny story.

4) If you’ve ever wanted to try something crazy but haven’t had the guts, this show might just convince you to bite the bullet! It’s full of crazy tales, songs, and lots of terrible photos – it’s the perfect show for you if you want someone other than your run of the mill hour of stand up.

5) Top hats are a lot more expensive than I’d anticipated and I am now very broke. Please buy a ticket even if you’re not going to come.

Tuxedo Traveller is on at Coopers Inn from March 25 to April 19
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2020/shows/tuxedo-traveller

Nick Capper – Pig In The City

By Peter Newling

The German language has some wonderful words. Most people are familiar with the concept of schadenfreude – the pleasure that comes from the troubles, failures, or humiliation of others. Some may be familiar with backpfeifengesicht – which I believe translates to ‘a face badly in need of a fist’ or similar. I wonder if the German language has a word that describes “Audience laughing out of sympathy for the performer”. That may sound harsh – but I get the feeling that that’s exactly what Nick Capper was aiming for.

Capper doesn’t try to put himself across as anything other than a likeable doofus. This is reflected in his dress sense, his choice of hair style, his affable tone of voice and definitely in his choice of material. He seems to want people laughing at him, as much as laughing at what he says.

Capper markets himself as ‘one of the only agricultural-based comedians in Australia or the world’ – and I admit I’m struggling to name another one. There’s a video of pigs that greets the audience as you walk in. Much of his routine is based around his experiences as a country lad living in the city. I now know more than I’ve ever known before about dirt bikes, tractors, and egg conveyor belt technology.

His delivery, however, is somewhat unexpected. Yes, you’ve got the slow, dim, good natured yokelly larrikin as a base, but his bumpkin schtick is interrupted by totally unexpected moments of bizarre. A bit like Graham Chapman’s splunge moments, Capper throws in random flashes of idiocy that make you wonder ‘Did that actually happen’? Some of these interruptions are accompanied by sound/lights/video, some just vocal. They may involve martial arts. Or a song. Or a totally unrelated anecdote. It’s a difficult style to describe.

One thing for certain, it’s a really hit and miss style. On the night I was there, some of it fell dreadfully flat. Some (including the occasional tech element) didn’t work at all. Some of it was obviously padding. We know that because he told us.

The small Zeus room at the Greek Centre was about ¾ full – mostly of people known to the performer (who thought he was hilarious). I’m not exactly sure who Nick’s target audience is. This might be one of those shows that you just need to go along to find out if it’s you or not.

Nick Capper – Pig in the City is playing til 21 April at the Greek Centre Zeus

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2019/shows/pig-in-the-city

CapperJack – Back In The Habit Reloaded 2000

By Colin Flaherty

Capperjack bill themselves as a sketch duo like no other and they sure aren’t kidding. Nick Capper and Jack Druce perform an off the wall strand of sketch that, no matter how bat-shit crazy each sketch gets, feeds a narrative arc. They also bill this show as the second in a saga but missing the previous instalment won’t affect your enjoyment of this hilariously wacky story.

The main gist of the tale involved Capper and Druce as co-hosts of a talk show. They were getting restless so they approached their benefactor Diesel Guts Calhoun about changing the format. This led to the creation of a show within the talk show, Ernest Capper and the Low Flying Duck, complete with Jack Thompson-esque narration, visuals and an epic ballad.

The talk show element allowed them to poke fun at this television format and perform some hilarious commercials during the “breaks”. The action also moved to the world outside of the talk show, a world full of ridiculously grotesque characters and a twisted logic of its own. This gave them plenty of excuses to dress up and put on silly voices (particularly Capper) which was a hoot. When minor characters threatened to outstay their welcome, it reeked of indulgence but added to the insanity.

This was a rather dense script that threatened to trip them up at one point but a quick thinking techie reset the scene for them and we were back on track. There were lots of crazy ideas thrown into this show and even when they seemed quite random in isolation, it all tied into the narrative beautifully. We saw plenty of word play, butchering of phrases and deliberately lame concepts taken to extreme lengths. There were even some cheeky jibes at the comedy industry to appeal to the comedy nerds / comics.

One puzzling thing was the game cards distributed to the audience as we entered the venue. These suggested that we were to play an interactive role in the show but when the relevant scene rolled around, we were relegated to the roles of extras with no input other than being warm bodies and applauding the on stage action. I guess this baffling experience fitted in with the surreal nature of the show.

This pair worked perfectly as a comedic duo with Druce’s droll demeanour suiting the role of straight man while Capper spouted all sorts of silly nonsense. When they were playing themselves, these were wonderfully heightened versions that gave them licence to poke fun at each other’s real life achievements.

With an insanely short Fringe run, you’d better rush if you wish to catch the awesomeness of Capperjack.

CapperJack – Back In The Habit Reloaded 2000 is on at the Imperial Hotel until October 2^nd

For booking details visit https://www.melbournefringe.com.au/program/event/view/d4ed23ae-ca42-4016-85b2-8a5defefcb39