Reviewed by The Laughing Kiwi

James Acaster’s sweet and boyish charm has always helped him win over the audience and in this year’s show that certainly hasn’t changed.  Lawnmower gives this seasoned and successful crowd favourite the perfect opportunity to unveil his latest material to an audience who is all too ready to listen.

Throughout the show Acaster talks about what he considers the best of life.  You get to hear the best of his business ideas, presumably for if comedy doesn’t work out, and some excellently thought out opinions on what and who you should, and shouldn’t, take to an orchard and a night club.  For the first time we also get some brilliant character acting from him which is truly riveting stuff.

Acaster’s usually soft spoken and eloquent on-stage persona is not likely to offend so this is a show you can easily bring mum and dad to without worry.  The few times that this persona is broken, it is done with perfectly thought out, comedic precision that catches the audience off guard almost every time, leading to a spectacular explosion of laughter.

Another highlight is when he re-enacts some of the best music of our age before going on to debate about them in a timely fashion.  I thought he had some interesting thoughts about the trends of late adopters who claim ownership of current musical masterpieces which were originally discarded.

It’s hard to see how anyone could go wrong in going to see this show.  Acaster is a brilliant performer whose style of comedy is appropriate for all ages.

James Acaster is performing in the Cloak Room at the Melbourne Town Hall until April 20th (not Mondays).  For more details and to book tickets, click here.

*Editor note: Check out what I thought of James Acaster’s show when he performed at last year’s NZ International Comedy Festival – here is my review!