The only information I have on Oliver Pol is his self-description as a “youngish, tallish stand-up comedian.” But it promised to be “a fun, weird hour performed with irrepressible, limb-flailing energy,” and he absolutely delivered.

Pol’s style is a bundle of nervous and enthusiastic energy. He often moves his body in odd shapes across the stage, throwing in the occasional high kick or skip to keep us engaged. And it isn’t hard because he has packed so much into this one-hour show.

Instead of the usual observational comedy, he started by turning the microscope on himself: his name, his fashion sense, even his undiagnosed OCD. From there, it’s a whirlwind of musings, worries, hyper-specific pop culture references, and indirect political jabs.

He took us from butt botox, tea variations, and aggressive bird reviews to childhood memories, like cherished encyclopedias and nostalgic children’s songs. Then, just when you thought you’d settled into a groove, he pivoted to New Zealand’s archived material from Lyttelton Harbour village before catapulting us back to present-day TikTok obsessions. It was like being thrown into a blender of ideas, and somehow, it worked.

There wasn’t a single lull. Pol’s humour is sharp and intelligent without losing its sense of fun. His playful and at times manic approach kept the energy high and the audience on its toes. Whether he was questioning whether geese are aggressive or just struggling to let go of irrelevant information, or diving into the absurdity of everyday situations, his humour felt both clever and playful . It was a reminder that comedy doesn’t always need a point, sometimes it’s about being a silly goose.

Review by Nadia Freeman