By Jennifer Beasley.
English teacher by day, superstar in training by night.
Budding comedian Alasdair Keith Gardiner played to a packed house at Tasma Terrace to deliver humorous stories from his travels around the world, his childhood in Brisbane (or BrisVagas as he titles it) and his romantic entanglements.
There’s a lot to like about Gardiner. A graduate from Melbourne’s VCA, he directed and wrote the short film, In Limbo, and wrote and directed the play Mumma’s Boy at the Melbourne Fringe Festival last year.
Branching out into standup comedy is Gardiner’s latest move. I really admire the strength of will and courage to do standup. Gardiner does a solid performance here. Regaling his audience with his language skills, while not making us feel stupid is quite a skill! (My French is very so-so I’m afraid).
This was a good act from someone who is just starting out, and I had many laugh-out-loud moments. Gardiner has a grounding energy which is slower paced, and his delivery is spot on. He has an obvious love of languages and his heart-felt connection to his students (Alisdair teaches English as a Second Language) is noted when he tells us that one of his students wrote that ‘Gardiner travelled around the word.’ Super sweet and a lovely show of emotional connection and depth from this intelligent performer.
My only criticism is that I wanted to learn more about the stories that this lovely man was telling us. Gardiner is a natural storyteller, and I suspect he’d also be a very good director too. Great observations, not taking things too seriously, but with a killer eye for detail, I certainly got the vibe that this young man was only just getting his writing vibe on.
It’s so important to be likable by the audience, and this comedian exudes niceness. Some fantastic belly laughs along the way made up for any soft spots, and really, if you leave with a huge smile on your face, then you have done a good job.
Well done, Gardiner, I look forward to seeing more of your work in the future.
Do not miss this, Gardiner is fabulous and deserves to be heard.
Alasdair Keith Gardiner is The Bogan Polyglot plays at Tasma Terrace at 8:20 PM until 6th April 2025.
