Tonight we’re going to have a laugh,’ announces Stephen K Amos. Because, as he says, stand-up comedy means fun time; it’s seriously funny, not serious then funny. There’s almost an audible sigh of relief from the audience, and from then, we’re off to the races. 

Amos has been telling jokes for well over two decades now, and it shows. He’s just an immaculate comic: there’s never a moment when he’s not in full control, from his timing, to his audience work (on the nose, but never mean) to the way he commands the stage at the inside-out sauna that makes up The Box (while reminding us that the last time he was in Adelaide he was in a ‘proper theatre’). Sure, some of the material veers into Angry Uncle Stephen territory with the odd old man moan (contactless payments, QR codes, short feedback surveys and the like) but there are no pauses in the laughter. (Until he gets to a joke about Vegemite which is clearly a bridge too far for an audience who have just been in convulsions over a gag about the death toll on Everest. Guess every crowd has its limits). 

The theme of this new show is oxymorons, and a few are delivered, but the theme is never laboured. Instead, it feels like a chat with an old mate, albeit one who is really funny. After all, as Amos reminds us, coming to a comedy show is a contract: he’ll tell lies and jokes, we’ll laugh. And, because he’s completely irresistible, we do.