Reviewed by: Glam Adelaide
Review by Nicola Woolford | 04 March 2023
On Thursday night a catch-all audience folds into Hell’s Kitchen for Japanese Worry by Takashi Wakasugi. Wakasugi shares his everyday (anxious) observations about life in Australia, after living in Melbourne for four years. He worries like the Japanese but loves Vegemite like Australians, he explains. His comedy is a slice of life for the Australian millennial, told from a unique point of view. He discusses the hierarchy of toilet paper, leftover pizza, the moral dilemma of buying eggs, the awkwardness of breaking up, and recounts an eye opening trip to Melbourne Zoo. It’s difficult to know whether Wakasugi’s nervousness is due to opening night jitters, or purposefully built into his routine. His crass humour is sometimes at odds with this nervy persona. He keeps peering past the spotlight to see the audience better, perhaps taking the temperature of the room. He becomes flustered when jokes don’t land as intended, but manages to rally throughout the show. If you would like to spend an hour in an intimate comedy venue, laughing as you learn a little about how the rest of the world view Australians, then consider Japanese Worry.