A glutton for pun-ishment

Tim Timinee Tim Timinee Tim Tim To You
Performer: Tim Vine
Venue: Victoria Hotel
Until: April 17
Rating: ★★★★

REVIEW by MATHEW ANDREAZZA

Pun, song, prop, pun, song, prop, pun: this formula looks boring on paper but has not lost its charm in the capable hands of Tim Vine.

Fans will feel right at home before Tim Timinee Tim Timinee Tim Tim To You starts; yes, that is the name of his show. Vine’s collection of props were stage right, exactly where they should be for one of his gigs.

Nothing was out of the ordinary apart from the big chimney sticking out from the middle of the stage.

And then Vine appeared and it was business as usual. His business is booming. Unlike a lot of modern mainstream comedy, Vine does not do stand-up. His shows revolve around wordplay and puns interlaced with the occasional song.

Vine fired off jokes like a machinegun, and when it goes well, audiences react with constant streams of laughter. The recurring jokes that popped up unexpectedly were a surprise and a delight to watch unfold. He grinned at every positive response to a joke. Something about Nando’s and a peri-peri-periscope? Maths jokes that divide his audience? Vine clearly loves his job.

In Tim Timinee, Vine was more self-aware and self-deprecating than in previous shows. When a joke fell flat (sometimes on purpose), Vine hammed up the awkward moment to generate another fit of laughter and quickly moved on.

This MICF show is full of new material, but a large clump of old material towards the end dampened its pace. Spacing this material out would have benefited the show.

Surprisingly, his new songs also fell short. Most took too long to reach the joke, and just weren’t worth the pay-off. His older songs are tighter and more involving.

Despite these flaws, fans of Vine will love this show. If you consider yourself a wordsmith looking for a comedian to satisfy your needs, no one does it better than Tim Vine.