Review | Kieran Eaton
Casual in appearance – who is Aidan ‘Taco’ Jones? Small in stature Jones happily chills out on a bar stool, as you arrive to find a seat. The whole audience are greeted as they arrive with wonderful cheekiness that has the right amount of warmth. This Adelaide-raised Melbourne-based comedian knows how to not take himself too seriously – the audience instantly feeling the positivity. Yet, there is still a sense of sincerity as he susses us out, while grooving to some background music.
Taco is a fantastic mix of stand-up comedy fused into storytelling about his identity. When Jones stands up, he commands the stage with instant charisma – displaying blokey down to earthiness combined with modern sensitivity. The funny comes out naturally with Jones, in his honest opening about early on not knowing his biological Colombian father but having step-dad early on become his father that he saw as his real dad. This sets the tone of some deep thoughts about nature vs nature – especially since he displays brown skin and features that lead to questions of his identity. This amusing lad deals with a serious subject in a jovial way – laughing about his childhood Greek-Australian friends insisting that he was Greek because he did not know enough about his background.
Getting to know Jones is gradual but the moments he delivers are clear as daylight – his wording being exceptionally well thought-out. With dry wit, he cuts through the overly PC wokeness by highlighting the reality of having multiple sides to your personality – especially when you are “fifteen and want to lose your virginity.” This realness relaxes most in the audience, but some do not know how to take it and with skill delivers laughter to even the more sensitive minds. The intelligence behind getting a whole audience to see the world in a more balanced point of view is fantastic and easily enjoyable. Anyway, what does it mean to be half Colombian and have no knowledge of the culture? Jones more saw his Australian dad as the person that he looked up to – even though there being plenty of differences and this dichotomy brings many gags as he pulls fun of things about him, potentially leading to some moments of conflict. This conflict has resolution problems – as like many men, have difficulty dealing with emotions.
This coming of age story is an immense pleasure to witness. Potentially your jaw may become saw from watching and so go see this performance called Taco!
WHEN: 18th January – 9th February 2020 | 8:30pm
WHERE: Belgian Beer Cafe | PERTH CBD
INFO: Pricing $14 – $25 | Duration 50m | Suitability: M | Content warning: Occasional course language and drug use | COMEDY
TICKETS: https://fringeworld.com.au/whats_on/aidan-jones-taco-fw2020
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