Watching a young character comedian at the beginning of their career is a joy for seedoeatreview. I love the aspect of them performing at a smaller venue with intimate crowds and bringing a different kind of humour to the stage that I’ve never seen before. This is what I believe the Adelaide Fringe is all about, in its purest form, and it was Tom Whiston who managed to bring the laughs on Thursday night. Back in 2020 Tom created a character, a sailing instructor named Scott Murphy. A master of the seas, his sailboat adventures delighted audiences - but then covid hit and Tom (and Scott) had to dock the show on dry land. In the second incarnation of Scott Murphy, Tom brings a different perspective of the character to the stage. Yes, there is still plenty of fun and laughs, but if you dig deep beneath the ‘wacky adventures’ there’s a deeper meaning to it all. Tom Whiston as Scott Murphy Tom Whiston as Scott Murphy Located at The Chapel inside the Migration Museum, this is a venue that seedoeatreview was not familiar with. Scott Murphy welcomes the audience into his show and breaks the silence with some intentionally cringe-worthy but nonetheless hilarious sailing jokes (and lots of them!), explaining to us, through sailing terms, all the aspects of his life. It’s fun and it’s silly, but it does take a more serious tone when he finds out that one of his buoys is pregnant. Forming the basis of the show, we follow Scott as he talks to the audience and his dad, and shares his own thoughts on having a baby when it hasn’t exactly been planned for. Being a newly developed show, there are some definite joke hits and some terrible misses, but all-in-all Tom acknowledges it all by breaking the fourth wall and letting the audience know what’s going to be cut out of the next performance. Yet Another Wacky Sailboat Adventure is a show that requires a willing and participative crowd and, on the night that I attended, the audience was in fine form. Tom (as Scott) played off them beautifully and you can see that he has a natural ability to find the funny, even when things don’t go exactly to plan. Scott Murphy may not be the most professional sailing instructor, but Tom Whiston is definitely a professional comedic performer to watch out for in the future. THREE AND A HALF STARS ***1/2 Reviewed by Shane Berketa