From the first time I saw David Quirk, I was immediately a fan. He is the perfect example of a natural. His show last festival was so innovative and entertaining that he was very deserving of his nomination of the Golden Gibbo. From all this, I had high expectations of his show this year and he definitely delivered. My favourite thing about Quirk is that he doesn’t just stand on stage for 55 minutes and tell jokes. He also features props and technical gags which is so refreshing. I must admit that I am not a fan of pure stand up. I find it very boring so when Quirk livens it up, I welcome the change.

At a superficial glance, Quirk’s work might be seen as goofy but when you look under the hood there is a world of meaning. He uses his 55 minutes to explore the meaning of life and death which he does with expertise and at no moment do you find yourself entering an existential crisis. In between his analysis of the big question, he tells silly anecdotes that are so fun that you wish you were a part of his life.

I only have one criticism. Every so often he would tell a joke that I found problematic. I’m not going to get into the politics of the comedy world and whether political correctness has a place in it because I would be here forever but as a radical feminist and social justice warrior, there was the odd joke that made me tug on my collar. Saying that, you can tell that he is a well meaning soul and he wasn’t coming from a place of malice so it’s easy to forgive him.

At the end of the day, this show is a must see for comedy fans everywhere.

David Quirk‘s Approaching Perfection is on all festival at the Parlour Room downstairs at Roxanne.