There is something very reminiscent of Bill Murray in Matt Duwell: the optimistic sarcasm is the overlying note in his voice; he produces easy crowd-pleasing material, imbued with the subtle undercurrents of political fascination; his versatility is self-explanatory in his peerless audience interaction; and there is an innate likeability about his grounded persona. But would you believe that the five-year Fringe veteran’s working-class roots can also raise high brows? With a Douglas Copeland narrative style, Snowflake It ‘Til You Make It examines contemporary issues in the likes of Millennial stereotypes, PC culture and political mudslinging through witty observations. Mincing no words, the Brighton comic uses his time wisely with profoundly hilarious anecdotes and audience banter.
Delivered with imaginative appeal and razor-sharp, death-dealing wit
Given that this viewing’s audience were low on energy – surprising given a Saturday night – Duwell adapted well to his environment with a commanding presence. Circumnavigating the crowd before him with great audience interaction, Duwell’s improvised humour and banter with the audience often appears to be his strongest facet, revealing the inner workings of a sharp-witted mind. He knows his demographics well and capitalises upon it with adroit effect, which is perhaps best addressed in his skit on one-night stands. He is quick enough to move things along when necessary without rushing, and doesn’t linger on jokes if they don’t land. Duwell also squeezed in a few Trump jokes for the record but didn’t launch a prolonged assault on the American president, bypassing the pitfall cliché of this year’s most done to death target.
But behind the laughter, the jokes bely the underlying nature of the show’s title: through the medium of Duwell’s affable disposition, the show unravels the surprising power behind colloquial language and metaphors used in day to day life, and thereafter the power of a rapid, ever-changing language such as English. In essence, Snowflake It ‘Til You Make It considers the decline in Western culture’s generation relations against the ever-burgeoning wage disparity in a world run amok with political tribalism, wherein lies Duwell’s most discerning point: we should be suspicious of language in all walks of life.
Fostering his own comedic legacy, the creative elements of Duwell’s show oozes confidence and relevance to a modern world grappling in the midst of political turmoil, delivered with imaginative appeal and razor-sharp, death-dealing wit from a comic with original ideas and strong aspirations for future comedic output.
