James Nokise has taken the long way around to get to our shores. A New Zealand boy at heart, the stand-up has hit St Kilda's Local Taphouse via Edinburgh and The UK at large. It's a scenic route to say the least, but transatlantic travels have fared his comedy well.
Nokise's stage presence during So So Gangsta is immaculate: his unplanned tangents and audience interactions feel unbelievably natural, as if there must be plants in the crowd for him to work with. Using a fellow Kiwi in the audience to substantiate some of the more outlandish tales of his home is a lovely little addition to the proceedings. However, it's Nokise's ability to go off the cuff that is ultimately his downfall.
There are so many interesting aspects to So So Gangsta that can appeal to a non-NZ audience, but too often they're lost to time constraints. Nokise spinning yarns of his teenage days in a gang and the cautionary tale he wants to give to the next generation of his family is a beautiful sentiment. Nonetheless, these nuggets of wisdom and self-deprecating humour are left dangling without a satisfying end, leaving much to be desired in a conclusion. That's not to say that Nokise isn't a powerhouse of clever and insightful material, rather that he seems to be cramming too much into his hour. His stories are dying to be told, but it feels at times as if this is two shows meshed into one. If Nokise were to flesh out his stories into multiple sets, they could flourish in free-flowing sets of comedy gold.
Be that as it may, So So Gangsta is still an incredibly enjoyable show. Nokise could take over any late show host and hold his own without breaking a sweat, and it's impossible not to fall in love with his inimitable style. Whether or not this is his finest work, Nokise is undoubtedly a comedic force to be reckoned with.
