CHRIS ROCK: Ego Death
Aware Super Theatre, August 13
★★★½
Moments into his new show, Chris Rock addresses the elephant in the room: “I’m OK”. With that, he’s away, riffing on his sheer incredulity at unwittingly being one half of that headline-hogging Oscars slap. “He’s bigger than me! He has played Ali!” he relates, eyes boggling with the ridiculousness of the whole thing. “I couldn’t even play Floyd Mayweather!” It’s a bright spot in a slow opening stretch that sees Rock offer meandering thoughts on the general craziness of the times.
Moments into his new show, Chris Rock addresses the elephant in the room: that Oscars slap.Credit:AP
The 57-year-old has authored some of the most dazzlingly original and expertly provocative stand-up comedy ever, but, at times, ego-death relies on his still sublime delivery to sell material that tends to the anonymous.
There are familiar takes on the dangerous buffoonery of Trump, the illogic of anti-vaxxers, how ancient Joe Biden seems, and the irksome phenomena of self-appointed virology experts. More distinctive are the reflections on his wealth and how this shaped his daughters’ upbringing. There are amusing detours into what a trip to Disneyland looks like for the kids of a Hollywood A-lister. One section on a private school threatening to expel his daughter is overlong but eventually arrives at a satisfying conclusion.
Other times, he delights in wrong-footing the audience, explaining that he’s pro-choice but for somewhat unexpected reasons. He also explores his life as a single man and expresses his cynicism about monogamy and paranoia about dating in the #MeToo era.
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the show is preceded by a montage of stand-up greats: Carlin, Kaufman, Pryor, Rivers. There are moments here, floating but undeniable, when he’s stalking the stage in that classic feline prowl or building up to a crescendo of exasperation, that you get a glimpse of why Rock belongs in that elite company.
Chris Rock: Ego Death is at Qudos Bank Arena on August 15.