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Theatre Review: Self-Inflicted
- Deb Carr
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Self-Inflicted
Conceived and performed by George Rigden
Sydney Comedy Festival
Enmore Theatre Laneway
Reviewed by Ron Lee, CSP
Sometimes it's hard to know if a comedian is actually teetering on the edge or if it's part of the act.
George Rigden, in his Sydney Comedy Festival show, Self-Inflicted, it seemed to definitely be the former.
The once-cancelled Englishman Rigden talked about issues with his father, autism, neurodiversity, dating, therapy, his addictive behaviour, his experiences with Alcoholics’ Anonymous and his difficulty in relating to, and communicating with people, especially women, even though there's plenty of audience interaction in his show.
His first song contains the lyrics, "I'm a recovering alcoholic and misogynist”, which gives you an indication of his ongoing personal development.
Apart from externalising his vulnerability and insecurities in an entertaining way, Rigden knows his way around a guitar. His arpeggios were hypnotic.
With his level of talent it was surprising that he was in the partly-filled Enmore Laneway venue that has a seating capacity of 61. It was so small that upon entering, audience members had to squeeze past the bio box.
At comedy and fringe festivals around the world, the performers are each responsible for the promotion of their shows. All they get from the organisers is a listing in the physical programmes and online. If you’re not good at marketing and self-promotion, or you’re not well known, it could be a challenge to attract punters.
Far less talented performers at this comedy festival are playing bigger rooms because they’ve been on television and have even hosted the New Years Eve coverage.
There’s a certain appeal about a comedian who has the propensity to be a loose cannon that has no filter between his brain and his mouth, but I sensed that Rigden self-edited as he improvised parts of the show. Perhaps he was aware of the possibility of being cancelled again.
Despite his admissions about previous behaviours, George Rigden is a decent human being whose talent and entertainment value deserve to be more widely appreciated. I rarely laugh out loud at comedians but did in this show and enjoyed it on several levels.
