Review: Yianni: Numb and Number – Free, The Canons’ Gait (Venue 78)

Demonstrating that you can mine distinctive and memorable stand-up from any premise, Yianni Agisilaou’s recently diagnosed mild autism, and his abiding love of numbers, are richly investigated in a show that should register on everyone’s spectrum of interest.

* * *

The Greek-Australian comic opens with a stunningly good reworking of Rain Man, splicing himself into the film’s footage in the Dustin Hoffman role, eliciting big laughs and introducing some of the popular preconceptions surrounding the condition.

Structuring his hour via a top ten countdown of numbers, his extremely arbitrary associations scarcely detract from a succession of solid routines. Often, as in the portrait of his friend’s schizophrenia or the reason for his light-eyed, Greek-Cypriot features, they’re very funny indeed. There are instances when his approach is stretched to the point of irretrievable convolution, but generally this is a show that’s either humorous or interesting and generally both, humanising the autistic condition but never coming close to being worthy.

When Yianni speculates that “comedian” could be an as yet undiagnosed disorder, you rather hope it’s something he applies the same rigour to exploring in a future show.

Until 25 August. Today 4:55pm.