Wyatt Nixon Lloyd is obviously a busy man. How else do you end up with 200 unheard voicemails. But for all of his business and life hacks, his show 200 Voicemails feels as though it could benefit from perhaps a little zen, or a slightly slower pace.
On paper, the premise for 200 Voicemails sounds brilliant: present audiences with the opportunity to delve into your private life by playing them a sample of your unheard voicemails, all 200 plus of them. But Lloyd’s execution of said concept is a tad frantic.
He certainly has the skill to present comedy – and at times he presents it really well – but the night I saw the show it felt as though the urgency was all-consuming and that the lack of pause was a little headache inducing.
Still, it’s a show that has plenty of laughs, albeit could use a little polish. Lloyd takes the audience on a whirlwind tour of his childhood and life as a comic in Melbourne.
But that’s the problem: it’s a whirlwind. As a result, Lloyd himself seemed flustered and a little off-kilter. Which is a shame, because Lloyd is a genuinely loveable character: he has just the right amount of self-assuredness, self-doubt and sheer madness to make warm him to even the chilliest heart.
Needless to say, 200 Voicemails has the scope to polish itself up before the end of the season. It’s a brilliant concept, but Lloyd himself just needs to believe in it a touch more, step back, take a deep breath, and then calmly deliver the goods.
Because he certainly can deliver, and no doubt will. But the opening night showing felt just a touch rushed. Hopefully, future shows will see Lloyd taking to the stage with a calmer, more serene persona, one that grapples the technology of what he is doing and delivers it with aplomb, like he is more than likely capable of doing.
Wyatt Nixon-Lloyd 200 Voicemails is playing at Casa Mondo tonight at 8:30pm. Book tickets at www.fringeworld.com.au
Scott-Patrick Mitchell
