Reviewed by Lisa Clark
The title of Tom Cashman’s show this year belies the fantastic, hilarious storytelling show this actually is. You may have seen Tom on TV showing off the odd graph on Celebrity Letters and Numbers, or you’ve seen him on The Project and have come for the Real Estate story where he asks for a reference from a prospective landlord, you will get these but Oh So Much More!
Tom’s persona is that of an everyman sort of bloke, a bit of a wag, to whom extraordinary things happen and he seems as astonished as we are. He is a brilliant story teller, keeping us on the edge of our seats and laughing throughout with a cheeky glint in his eye. There are stories within stories, any one of which could make a whole show on it’s own, they are all engaging, funny and surprisingly true. The stories roll on through the show with great running gags, keeping the audience in stitches .
Proving that he does not have to rely on his graphs or the AV as a crutch or gimmick, Tom opens the show with solid gear about tennis and all the silliness around the Melbourne Open this year. It feels fresh despite it all happening a few months ago and although I’m not a tennis fan I loved it. When he does bring in the audio visual element it is a masterclass. He doesn’t over use the screen, it’s there to enhance his stories and prove that he’s not making it up and is always very funny.
The best thing about Tom is that he has worked on and enhanced the work he already has out there. It’s not a Show and Tell of what you can already find online, he has created new material and he’s rounded out his existing stories, adding more jokes and heaps of hilarious surprises.
Graphs feels like it naturally belongs in the social media enhanced world we live in. The only better use I’ve seen is by Dave Gorman and that is high praise from me. If you love Gorman, this is the show for you. Tom will similarly have your jaws dropping while you follow breathlessly, until by the end he had the audience roaring with laughter, cheering and clapping.
It’s not surprising that you have been seeing quite a bit of Tom on TV recently. He’s a talented comedian at the top of his game. I cannot recommend Tom Cashman’s Graphs more highly. Bring your friends, it’s a killer.
Tom Cashman performs Graphs at The Victoria Hotel til Fri Apr 22