Ruby’s Music Room has to be one of the best rooms at the comedy festival, especially for cabaret artists. It’s a little out of the way, but it’s intimate, stylish and the perfect venue for Bryce Halliday’s The Bryce is Right.
Halliday has written a charmingly nerdy cabaret that looks at all the people throughout history who have strongly believed that their fantastical ideas were right. There are plenty of laughs and intrigue in the stories, and Halliday has a knack for getting inside of these minds and breaking their thoughts down for an audience.
Halliday’s voice is as smooth as his delivery and his musicality is first rate. Not only does he have a knack for melody and harmony, but his compositions are eclectic and driven by passionate ideas. Many of the songs rely heavily on synthesisers and sampling, and it means that Halliday really is his own one-man band. But when he combines that with the acoustic Steinway grand piano in Ruby’s Music Room, there’s a bit of an awkward sonic clash.
Lyrically, there’s still a naivety to the way he writes, wavering between poeticism and bluntness. But at least when he falters it’s because he’s taken a risk, and he does occasionally touch on something brilliant. The lyrics also never quite reach the same comedic level as his stand-up
Halliday is on track to becoming a force in Australian cabaret. All the ingredients are there, even if they haven’t completely come together in this show.
[box]DR Comedy Warnings: SING
Bryce Halliday: The Bryce is Right is at Ruby’s Music Room until 12 April. Tickets are available at comedyfestival.com.au[/box]