Show reviewed: 22/02/26

Star rating: 3.5 stars and flying towards big things faster than the speed of light!

Rao Morusupalli is one to watch in the comedy scene in the next few years as a promising emerging artist. He has created a solid piece of science communication in his show, Space Comedy, at this year’s Adelaide Fringe. Rao has a lovely, engaging stage presence and is at his very best when he is talking about the science behind astrophysics and space (I particularly loved hydrogen bonding and the Goldilocks zone experiments!) However the show lacks development in the structure of a narrative space adventure though the audience had a very good time. I think with a a bit more development this is going to be a smash out hit of comedy in the future and that if Rao chooses to pursue science communication in his comedic adventures, he is going to be a cut above other stand-up comedians as science is his niche.

I’d like to take a moment to encourage the amateurs, the new and the emerging artists of this year’s Adelaide Fringe like Morusupalli, for taking a risk at the bigger venues like Gluttony, where there are a lot of professionals shows competing for a bite of the Adelaide audience market (as a local I can say it is a particularly tough one in that the city tends to buy tickets at the last minute, must be something in the water.) Adelaide has a particularly strongly established comedy scene thanks to the likes of Craig Egan and Jacob Jackman, so Rao is up against some already loyal local fanbases and still managed to pull off a really good show.