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Nath Valvo: Chatty Cathy

  • Comedy, Stand Up
  • 3 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended
Nath Valvo legs akimbo in a pale blue suit against a yellow backdrop
Photograph: Supplied
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Time Out says

3 out of 5 stars

Knowing just how to work a stage and an adoring crowd, the radio host with the most offers a fun night out

Out and proud comic Nath Valvo is the guy his one-year into being a new mum girlfriends ring when they finally get to go out on the town. It’s not hard to see why. His kilowatt smile lights up the Max Watts basement, and his nimble command of the stage squeals good night out.

Not unlike festival fave and Mardi Gras host Joel Creasey, Valvo’s act is predominantly aimed at straight couples intrigued by the vagaries of a gay man’s life. Indeed, when warming up the crowd, he asks straight couples to self-identify and they elicit the biggest roar. For once the gay men are more muted, and he jokingly notes, “there’s always a row at every show.” One of the bits that gets the biggest guffaws from the former is the idea that he’s working on an app to get your party started. An Uber for outrageous queens who’ll light up a disco inferno on demand, with the approaching gay man appearing as the salsa dancing woman emoji as they hurtle down the Monash freeway.

A great physical comedian with a knack for expressive facial work – note the eyebrows, when a friend introduces you to both a straight and a gay man – these spot the difference jokes might not be new, but he throws himself into them with such abandon it’s impossible not to get swept up in his enthusiasm.

Valvo also knows how to work a dramatic pause. Most notably in a recurring bit where he reveals bite-sized horror stories he wrote while in lockdown. Like when you meet an acquaintance in the supermarket and exhaust your chat in under two minutes only to bump into them again in the next aisle. These breakout moments are delivered to the tune of  spooky music and Halloween-green lighting that ends with a bright white spotlight on his dramatically frozen face. It’s a mark of his adept crowd work that when one of the spots isn’t cued properly, he leans into it for bigger LOLs.

I can understand the reluctance not to dwell too much on last year’s interminable lockdown, but it’s a shame we don’t hear more about his Iron Man-competing boyfriend. We hear more about his abs than an intriguing nugget about him being an infectious diseases doctor, which could surely be mined for more. But leaving you wanting is part of Valvo’s charm.

Stephen A Russell
Written by
Stephen A Russell

Details

Address:
Price:
$25-$35
Opening hours:
Various
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