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Brick Wall Comedy
Promotional art for Very Very
Cover image credit: Promotional image via Prime Video

Very Very

Tom Walker

Prime Video · 2020 · 51 min

A chaotic, loud mime show from a very sweaty clown.

Watch it free on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Defending mime to a stand-up audience is a tough sell, but Tom Walker spends an hour doing exactly that while refusing to actually shut up. Wearing a gray t-shirt that visibly absorbs his perspiration as the night progresses, he delivers a physical performance that relies on muscle control and perfectly timed sound effects triggered by a handheld clicker.\n\nThe routines are strange, including a recurring bit about a Disney princess whose avian companions turn sinister, a silent Western quick-draw duel with an audience member, and a love letter to a winter coat. Walker, who trained under clowning instructor Philippe Gaulier, brings a precise athleticism to the stage.\n\nFilmed at ACMI during the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and directed by Zoë Coombs Marr, the hour was released by Amazon Prime Video in 2020. The production was part of a major push by the streaming platform to showcase Australian comedy talent to a global audience.

The set list

5 bits

  1. A love story involving a coat

    Repurposes the classic mime routine of embracing a coat, developing it into an ongoing romantic relationship that gives the show an emotional center.

  2. Giant retractable and detachable penis

    A profoundly absurd and grotesque mime sequence where Walker interacts with, detaches, and manipulates an imaginary oversized phallus across various bodily orifices and audience interactions.

  3. Wild West quick-draw shootout

    An interactive routine where Walker recruits an audience member to stage an Old Western gun duel with mime and sound effects.

  4. Casino Dog

    A rare fully vocalized stand-up routine incorporating puns and a traditional gag payoff.

  5. Household object impressions

    Mimed physical impressions of inanimate items including a printer and Venetian blinds.

How it plays

Tone
Absurd, silly, unhinged, gross, and exuberant.
On stage
An expressive, playfully manic 'award-winning idiot' with a charismatic, cheeky grin, drawing comparisons to a young Jim Carrey while constantly talking during a purported mime show.
Pace
Fast-paced, seamless, and intensely physical; heavily perspiration-soaked as Walker pairs rigorous physical exertion with precise timing.
About
mime and physical theatre, subverting performance conventions, romance with inanimate objects, grotesque bodily humor

What the critics said

Critically praised as an inventive, gloriously unhinged, and hilarious reimagining of mime, with Paste celebrating Walker's seamless timing and blend of sweat and talent as a welcome antidote to stand-up special fatigue.

In the room: Game and enthusiastic, actively participating in mimed quick-draw face-offs and catching and tossing back imaginary objects.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: tv.apple.com, itsonthehouse.com.au, en.wikipedia.org, letterboxd.com, chortle.co.uk, pastemagazine.com, tagg.com.au, tomwalkerisgood.com.

Backstory

Trained in clowning at École Philippe Gaulier, Walker constructed the show around comedy's 'dirtiest four-letter word: mime', setting out to subvert and invigorate the traditionally despised art form.

Details

Released
Runtime
51 min
Where
Prime Video
Director
Simon Francis
Honors
Chortle 4.5 StarsHerald Sun 4 Stars
Topics
Before
LIVE! (2017)

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