Aziz Ansari, Matt Okine

Brisbane comedian Matt Okine's opening set is short but proves to strike a chord among the audience. He tells anecdotes about having friends who are far wealthier than he is, ponders the ridiculous ways that people can get rich and explains his dislike of tapas and his love of bread. These everyday, rather mundane topics elicit big laughs: “It's funny because it's true”. Acting out his frustration and miming actions while describing a scenario adds some visual comedy.

Some of Aziz Ansari's themes of the evening include having children (the idea freaks him out), the sometimes bizarre ways people meet their partners, getting married (again, the idea freaks him out), homophobia and guys who text girls photos of their genitalia. He also touches on, a little uncomfortably but not overtly offensively, child molestation and teen pregnancy. The routine is perhaps not as strong as his previous ones; narratives – such as the stories about his cousins Harris and Darwish – are his forte, and are lacking from the set. However, his pieces about Seal and President Obama are highlights. Ansari is as charming in person as he appears on screen, adopting character voices into his performance, interacting with the audience throughout the set (to varying degrees of success) and expressing genuine gratitude that he is able to travel overseas working as a stand-up.