Tim Minchin
Enmore Theatre
Sydney, Australia
19 January 2021
If you have so far managed to walk this earthround without having encountered Tim Minchin’s unique brand of entertainment and been enthralled by how the Australian renaissance man channels his alchemy, I pity you not unlike Mr T would, as you have missed out.
Tim Minchin in a live environment is quite a few things: There are comedic, stand up-esque bits, delicately intimate piano based compositions, full-on rock show components set in scene via a tight backing band, traditional spoken word passages interweaved with philosophical musings on the need to be, all presented in the most wonderfully engaging manner and in a way that gives idiosyncrasy a new dimension.
The beauty of witnessing Minchin in the third dimension lies in feeling the energy he exudes, how his charm fills the room and how it seems to make everyone in attendance a better version of themselves through sheer osmosis.
Being a classically trained musician and endowed with a borderline academic mastery of both instruments as well as his vocal delivery, Minchin does not get lost in merely showing off his chops but uses his seemingly effortless demeanour to weave in ad hoc observations, at all times ready to go off script to eventually meander his way back to exactly the spot he left off from.
Comprised of a melange of his older, classic and new songs, Tim masterfully spun his yarn from the intentionally silly via profound insightful revelations to have his elaborations culminate at the all-out hilarious, all of which is informed by his witty as Wilde double entendre laden witticisms and the rapid-fire delivery of his linguistically intricate wordplays. The myriad of thought provoking aspects of the evening are a delight to revel in as they come not across as preachy but are infused with a refreshing inherently healthy and omnipresent self-deprecating criticism.
Tim Minchin is a brainy phenomenon that has to be experienced in all its articulate brilliance.
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photo by T
