Ray O’Leary is a New Zealand based comedian who first came to the attention of British audiences thanks to the New Zealand version of Taskmaster getting aired in the UK.
Droll and shambolic, O’Leary’s approach to comedy is one of self-deprecation and a carefully curated lack of understanding of the world around them. They affect an air of someone who doesn’t realise they’re being funny, when in actual fact everything is designed to make you laugh as hard as possible. He twitches and moves nervously whilst delivering line after line of pure comedy gold. It’s a brilliant act, one that draws you in completely.
I Hardly Know Her is a shaggy dog story of sorts, as Ray darts from one subject to another. Each story has a sting, and each is a little anecdote that links back into the next. There’s a level of depth and skill to the performance that basically means you’re going to be missing some of the gags because you’re either laughing too hard or trying to catch up.
The word deadpan does not describe how masterfully flat this act can be. The pan is not just dead; it was snapped out of existence, never to return.
The dryness of the delivery is perhaps the greatest asset here. Just when you think you have a handle on the humour, it turns around and gets funnier in an entirely different way than you’d expect. Clever, unexpected and utterly captivating, O’Leary’s style is both incredible and unique. You will need a heart of stone and a permanently removed funny bone to not enjoy this show. Incredibly strong and well done.
There is a mild bit of audience participation towards the end, but for the most part this is one man making an audience feel just guilty enough for laughing with him, and that somehow makes it even funnier. Recommended.
You can book tickets for the Edinburgh Fringe show here and learn more about the artist here.
