Comedy DVD Review – Adam Hills: Happyism (Live 2013)

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There are many things that make Adam Hills a good comedian, but the fact is he is more than that and it’s all from his own choice.  When the Special Olympics were riding the success of the Olympics and making people realise that this sport events were just as important, he became in many ways the face of the events.  This wasn’t something forced on him, he made it known that he was the Australian comedian who had a false leg and he ran with it (no pun intended), which in many ways has helped his success in being accepted by the United Kingdom comedy fans.  With Adam Hills: Happyism (Live 2013) he continues this success and in many ways pushes acceptance for people with disabilities even more but through comedy.

The main thing is that Adam Hills is an Australian comedian, and this does push his act to a different style to what we sometimes expect in comedy shows.  As a fan of comedy I do love the Australian style and find I’m quite used to it so I understand his humour.  That’s not to say people not used to it won’t get it, because they will, from what I’ve seen Hill’s comedy is quite tame when it comes to the humour from “Down Under”.

There are a few things that Adam Hills does in Happyism that makes the act work in a way more entertaining than others, and one of these ways is the way he works with the audience.  Some comedians tend to talk to the audience and interact with them, but from the very start Adam Hills walks his way through them and interacts with them in a style that makes him trusted with them, and friendlier than most comedians.  Whether it be finding the younger people in the crowd and checking if what level he can go with them, or talking to fans who have been to previous shows he creates a bond with them that helps his act progress and be funny.  The rest of the audience highlight these people as being “special” to the show, and when he continues to use them for jokes they are easier to relate to.

I’ve seen comedians work with the audience before, Greg Davies is another comedian who uses this method and does it well, but I have to admit Adam Hills’ style is very good.  Whether it’s finding American members of the audience or hunting out people who have been to his shows before these people hive him material to work with and keep the show flowing well.  I do have to say though that Adam Hills’ Australian style of comedy is what adds that little edge to it, which is a reason that had me laughing more; I’m a sucker for Australian humour.

Adam Hills: Happyism (Live 2013) is a well thought out show that will keep you laughing, the fact that he uses the almost inspirational addition of a sign language interpretation to the show is something I’ve not seen much on stand-up comedy DVD releases, but his use of this person for comedy is very funny.  Out of all the DVD comedy releases I’ve looked at this week I’ll say this is high up on the list, and it’s refreshing to see a comedian that still makes sure to highlight that even if he has a disability this should never get in the way of entertainment, and it never does.

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