Oliver Coleman: Poolside

After introducing Poolside, Oliver Coleman transported us to the golden era of stand-up: New York City, 1983. Donning a blazer over his poolside attire, Coleman mutated into a brash male comic whacked off his head on blow, making elaborate and uncomfortable projections about audience members’ sex lives.

It was a convincing parody, one that stimulated genuine laughter while also revealing how much our standards for comedy have changed. It didn’t stem from any sort of nostalgic reverence either. It was just one in a ceaseless stream of sketches from the Melbourne comedian. 

The New York comedy club sketch would actually prove to be one of the show’s lengthiest sketches. Some lasted no longer than the time it took to set the scene. There were many non-sequiturs and Coleman made heavy use of props and sound effects. 

Coleman, who rightly was nominated for Best Newcomer and the Golden Gibbo at this year’s Melbourne Comedy Festival, was instantly likeable. He made it seem like he was talking directly to us, in a spontaneous and personable manner, although he’s likely done the show hundreds of times.

Coleman’s animated performance style meant he was not only able to transition between sketches with ease, but that whenever something didn’t get a laugh, he was unfazed and happy to move on to the next sketch.

Those moments were rare, however. Coleman’s range was impressive, splicing surrealism with outright silliness, melodrama with madness. There was no story to follow, and no grand moral declaration waiting in the wings, just live comedy at its daftest and most joyful.