Pierre Novellie is Anxious Peter

Pierre Novellie is an interesting character. Born and raised in South Africa before relocating to the Isle of Man, for starters he has a unique accent. He believes his lot in life is to be a clown and he is making a damn good go of it.

Novellie begins by describing his life in South Africa, the fortress like homes they live in and the confusion a five year old child finds watching cartoons in a foreign language. Typical stuff for an Afrikaner, but he presents it well. Never lingering too long on any topic, he has a very natural flow.

Novellie artfully discusses religion in various countries – a subject he studied at university. He hones in on familiar territory again but keeps it light enough to be accessible while deep enough to maintain the interest of the audience. He successfully paints pictures that are easy to see and he does so with a minimum of fuss. No unnecessary preamble, just funny stories told well.

What is absent here is any theme. Despite the show’s title, anxiety isn’t mentioned till the bitter end. It doesn't so much dull the fun as feel like a missed opportunity – Anxious Peter could certainly gain from something to tie it all together. Nonetheless, big laughs are liberally scattered throughout with intelligent observations in between. Novellie has an interesting natural style and a huge smile that he works well to keep the audience with him, even through the more intellectual moments. Well worth a look.