Comedy Festival 2018: Nick Cody makes champagne comedy look effortless in Loose Unit ★★★★

AUSTRALIAN comedy’s top ginge Nick Cody plays hard and loose with non-stop laughs. What a unit.

NICK Cody and his wife are trying for kids. He’s turned 30, they’ve moved into a house, her biological clock is ticking, and they’ve bought a dog.

The prospect of having a family has turned Cody’s thoughts to everything he’d like to teach his kids. So far he has surmised they will need to know Mandarin and how to use a gun.

But most of all he wants his kids to turn out to be, like himself, a “loose unit” — which he defines as someone who loves a drink, a prank, and a laugh.

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A loose unit might get a business-class upgrade, but definitely would not compete in Tough Mudder or buy a self-help book such as The Subtle Of Art Of Not Giving A %&$#.

In the meantime, Cody has his hands full with his “bogan” dog, a staffy pup named Yumi — after his wife’s favourite brand of hummus. And after sharing a house with a “tiny hurricane made out of bricks”, he reckons having a baby will be a breeze.

Nick Cody in Loose Unit.

Further cementing his place in adulthood, Cody is going for his driver’s licence and learning how to cook. His tale of trying to prepare a full red snapper at home will leave you in absolute stitches.

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This is champagne comedy at its apogee. Cody throws out reams of one-liners and zingers, while keeping a tight rein on the show’s pacing.

But probably his greatest skill is his knack for making his delivery look absolutely effortless, belying the undoubted hard yards behind the scenes.

A laidback larrikin at heart, Cody is the bloke with whom you’d most want to share a froth or five at your local on a Saturday night. And a kebab or two in the wee hours of Sunday morning.

Nick Cody, Loose Unit

Victoria Hotel, 215 Little Collins St, until April 22

comedyfestival.com.au