Review: David Quirk – Astonishing Obscurity

Three years after his last standup run, David Quirk is back with Astonishing Obscurity: a tale of obsession, jealousy, family and lip-sync battles.

After coming across an article that refers to his brother’s high draft pick but non-starting career in professional Aussie Rules football, Quirk seeks to track down the man who smeared his elder sibling’s name. But what begins as a seemingly petty quest becomes an exploration of our motivations and communities: what separates the sportsperson from the artist? Why are we so obsessed with success? Why do arseholes often turn out to be annoyingly human?

Quirk is a skilled storyteller and commands the stage with swagger. Despite his recent absence from standup he remains comfortable in front of an audience. This proves essential on a night with myriad distractions and interruptions from an odd crowd.

Astonishing Obscurity is in its infancy and Quirk is open about trying new material, yet he never takes the audience for granted. There are clearly the bones of an excellent show here, and with comic storytelling like this it’s a pleasure to see Quirk back on stage.