By Cathy Culliver 
Nicholas J Johnsonâs new show begins with the sentiment that âcritics are jerksâ. Well I never. In that case, Mr Johnson ⊠No, I canât do it. As much as Iâd like to get him back, it just wouldnât be fair. Some critics are jerks. And Today Tonight, Tomorrrow the World is too good a show to give it a bad review.
Based on his experiences appearing on everyoneâs favourite âcurrent affairsâ show (and I use those quotation marks very ironically), Johnson takes the audience through the background and the reasoning that lead to him selling his soul to appear on Today Tonight.
Johnson is better known around the country as âAustraliaâs Honest Con Manâ, and spends his time educating folks on how to avoid being tricked into parting with their hard-earned cash.
Which is, according to Johnson, why Today Tonight hired him; they wanted a con man to trick unsuspecting members of the public out of their money so they
could swoop in with their cameras and prove that everyone is a gullible idiot, presumably.
Johnsonâs re-telling of his experience is not only entertaining and very funny, but also a fascinating look behind the scenes of how these television types operate.
I wouldnât call it an expose, because really, who wasnât already aware that Today Tonight was dodgy as all hell? But Johnsonâs experiences certainly reiterate why the show is perceived as such a scourge on Australian television.
Aside from his con artistry skills, Johnson proves heâs also a damn good comedian. Heâs warm and engaging, but at same time delightfully unpredictable. The moments in the show when he pulls the rug out from beneath you make for some of the funniest and most memorable.
You have to wonder whether this is a cathartic experience for Johnson; a way to finally be at peace with what those bad TV men made him do.
But since just after calling me a jerk he also made us all promise not to give away the ending, I wonât tell you how he eventually finds a way to sleep at night. But I will say itâs a cracker.
Today Tonight, Tomorrow the World is showing at Club Voltaite, North Melbourne until Saturday 6th October.
More information can be found in the Fringe Guide http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/today-tonight-tomorrow-the-world/