Review – Greg Fleet in The Boy That Cried Sober
Venue: Rhino Room – Howling Owl | Yelp
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It is a brave individual that chooses to base a stand up comedy show upon the tragedy of heroin addiction. Greg Fleet triumphantly did so in 1997 with his show “10 years in a long-sleeved shirt”, a show which made him the poster child for overcoming serious addiction. Over a decade later, his new show deals with his continued struggle with addiction, and the added burden of the public’s expectation that he is now “cured”.
This is weighty subject matter, and given that the show is in its infancy (tonight was the first ever performance), Fleet is still tinkering with the balance between darkness and light. Whilst there were certainly moments of gut busting hilarity (an awkward meeting with his hero, Steven Fry stands out), many moments felt too raw and emotionally devastating, as though he is yet to come to terms with them. It should be said that some audience members found every utterance hilarious, which is perhaps a testament to Fleet’s delivery.
This show has moments, and it has a story to tell, but it is not a cohesive act yet, and it probably won’t be for some time. Fleet seems genuinely committed to using his platform as a vessel for greater understanding of drug addiction, and he should be commended for that.
Rather than go though the pain of watching such trash, I would rather sit in a Dentists chair reading chapters from the bible. This is the WORST live show I have ever seen anywhere. Shame on you Greg fleet you fucking hack. You are. Discrace to comedians everywhere.
Adelaide community do yourself a favour and spend your $30 on a hand job. At least you will leave the room feeling good with a smile on your face
What a shite show Greg. Shame on you
I was at the second performance of this show and thought it was amazing. I didn’t know preview nights were even up for review but at least you mentioned that that’s what you were at… overall I thought this was pretty fair but I disagree that the show needs a lot of time to be complete, there was only one moment that I felt could be tightened and that was the interlude in the middle.
Rawness and emotional honesty is exactly what made this so intriguing to watch and festival shows allow for that rather than the same old straight stand-up…