Rhys Mathewson - Hombre Lobo

At just 23 years-old, Kiwi comic Rhys Mathewson is a veteran in his native New Zealand, having already performed at seven international comedy festivals in Auckland and Wellington. However, his comedy career in the UK began on rocky grounds after a forgettable first gig at the Fringe 2013. Now he has begun to settle down in London, and since then he’s suffered heartbreak and had just about all the takeaway chicken he can stomach as a result. He arrives at the Fringe feeling equipped and well-armed to actually say something.

The titular hombre refers to the rational cortex of the male brain, while the lobo—literally translating from Spanish as ‘wolf’—characterises the raw, animalistic thoughts of a lustful mind. Mathewson plays out argument and counter-argument as the two sides engage in warfare, poring over the break-up with his girlfriend but also harbouring unwanted misogynistic opinions. But this intelligent foundation is largely squandered, with recycled threads about fast food taken from last year’s show and a series of stories that are plainly too ordinary to be funny.

Mathewson shows glimpses of the smart humour he has built a name with in New Zealand, with clever wordplay that, at times, sails above the heads of his audience altogether. It may be down to a slow start which never really manages to get the audience on-board, relying far too readily on jokes about his appearance—he was once summed up as New Zealand’s Zac Efron—and awkward sexual encounters. If he aimed for less superficial expression of his opinions, he could lose the lobo altogether and still produce searing comedy.