There is a large black digital countdown timer on stage with 55 minutes set on the clock, just as the show’s title promises: Time Trial. 

A smiley face pokes its head out of the wings of Te Auaha’s Tapere Iti, and whether it’s those squinted eyes or just his general jolly disposition, we don’t know, but he’s endearing. The nonchalant way Matthewson enters doesn’t give the impression that he has done stand-up a trillion times before, nor does his first intro give us the impression he is a super slick comic.

The crowd is a little low energy so Matthewson compensates with nervous chuckles and laughing at his own expense. This auto-chuckling works to his favour as his laugh is so quirky that we start warming up. He is attentive to this audience’s needs and treads wisely, which is where we see him really sinking into his open, honest, and wholehearted persona. 

Mathewson wonders if Wellington crowds look so apologetic for laughing because they’re interrupting his jokes – is that true? Ouch! No matter how many lulls and tumbleweed moments he is served, he manages to keep his audience engaged.  He appears to be at ease with audience interaction and remains painfully polite despite the lack of this audience’s feedback. 

As the show progresses, we hear more personal stories and anecdotes such as his two talking dogs that he shares his bed with, or the one sexy adult dream he ever had that got cut short, or the time he got so bored without internet he seriously considered …[spoiler avoided].

The question remains, why Time Trial? The simple reason is that he’s catastrophic with time management so this is making his life much easier. He shares the highly relatable addictions and distractions that cause his procrastination. He’s not afraid of exposing his imperfections and we feel lighter because of his honesty. He is a quick talker but thankfully articulate, so we might be getting 3 shows for one in terms of comic material.

Mathewson has an incredibly quick mind that can jump from idea to idea and riff off any subject to see where it leads him. One idea leads to a discourse about our current rise of fascism in Aotearoa delivered with little dirty slices of Musk, Hitler and Trump squished in the mix which is very satisfying.

All the while the timer is ticking which gathers tension when we realise there’s only 5 minutes left. This leaves him no choice but to rush through the final jokes and we get the feeling he has a love-hate relationship to this part of the show. We observe his over-excitement when he remembers another great joke he can tell us, yet he’s so frustrated he can’t give us the full theatrical experience of it. He sure as hell gives it a good go though. 

Overall, an entertaining evening of quick wit, honesty, no-nonsense relatable humour from Matthewson, proving himself to be an experienced, seasoned comedian who can reliably deliver the comedic goods.

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