Rhys Nicholson is super sharp. As sharp as his perfectly pressed suit, his elegantly arched scarlet quiff and his perfectly filed golden fingernails. 

He’s a stand up who is unashamedly himself, queer, arch, bristling with attitude and acutely self-aware.

It’s Saturday night in Edinburgh and some of the crowd are being a bit chatty, a bit random and a bit late – but it doesn’t put Nicholson off his stride for a second.

He doesn’t let them have it – this time – but you know he could if necessary.

Instead Nicholson delivers a laugh filled set, challenging the drunks in the audience to sit up, focus and concentrate, because otherwise they’ll miss the good stuff.

He’s ultra tuned to the energy in the room, weighing each laugh and tweaking his material to fit.

Tonight his material on cruise ship comedy goes down particularly well.   Nicholson does a couple of cruise ship gigs a year – and unlike many UK comics he’s not afraid to talk about it.

He has some excellent stuff on the Australian gay marriage plebiscite – explaining to his British audience how the vote led to an outbreak of homophobia and fear.

Nicholson, despite his nervy disposition, came out fierce and fighting.   His British audiences may not realise it but he took a prominent public role in the gay marriage debate in Australia.  

He has always been confident on stage but now he carries a sense of triumph.  He was on the right side of history and it shows.

When he talks about his boyfriend and his personal life he shows his sweet side. Despite the shiny showbiz wrapping and the quick wit Nicholson is totally at home with a bit of self-deprecating gossip. He is, he says, a terrible drunk – giving an impression of himself at a wedding in which he repeats and repeats and repeats the same words over again before collapsing in an emotional heap.

“Oh my god. It is just like that,” says a drunken woman behind me, audibly.

It doesn’t matter if it’s Saturday night, if everyone is a bit drunk, if no one understands Australian politics.  Rhys Nicholson keeps the whole audience on side all night with laugh after laugh after laugh.

He may look like a technicolor Disney prince but Rhys Nicholson is a world class stand up.

He’s clever, sharp, quick witted, sensitive and brilliant. He’s the perfect showbiz machine.

At Underbelly until August 26. Info here.

Read more Edinburgh Fringe reviews here.

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