Joe “Mr. D” Dombrowski Outdoor Recess @ The Comedy Lounge
w/ Devin Siebold
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
The wonderful Joe “Mr. D” Dombrowski hit the stage with his hilarious stand-up show Outdoor Recess with all the grace, poise, and sass of a 90s diva. The Comedy Lounge was the perfect setting for the night’s event. A scatter of tables, a well-stocked bar, the smell of fresh popcorn, and dimmed lights with a beautiful, but understated stage ready for the evening’s talent to perform.
Opening for the night was Devin Siebold, a 6’6 man full of wit and sarcasm. A teacher himself, Siebold warmed up the nearly all-teacher audience (this was verified by a show of hands, followed by sympathy for the high school teachers present), with a fantastic 20-minute set. Despite his great physical height, Siebold admits to being an outright wimp who’ll throw anyone under the bus if there’s a spider involved. He spoke of the humorous side to schoolyard fighting, the insight we gain into people’s lives as we judge the contents of their verge-side collection, and provided the audience with the option to buy a specialty towel designed to absorb the tears of teachers when they cry in their cars. His overall style is quite dry, but in an entirely endearing way, and his punchlines hit each time.
Siebold then introduced the main attraction, Joe “Mr. D” Dombrowski, and as lights flashed, Aqua’s Barbie Girl could be heard between whistles as Mr. D strutted, sashayed, and booty-popped his way onto the stage. With a final hair-flick, hip-thrust, and leg kick, he stuck his pink, glittery stilettos into the air for all to see before he settled in to begin his set.
Dombrowski was a constant delight upon the stage, and his audience remained captivated. He often appeared more caricature than human, his grin and general antics added to his charming presence which could be felt within the entire lounge. He was animated, engaging, and involved the audience whenever the opportunity presented itself. We were reminded of the plight that is koalas with chlamydia, and Dombrowski’s concerns that he may have contracted said STD after a recent visit with a rather randy marsupial. He loves that Australians are not afraid to drop the c-bomb, and now takes pride in being called a sick cunt. Dombrowski followed with anecdotes of his time in the classroom, in which he unwillingly released a dildo from his bag into the middle of a sharing circle, and once had to teach sex education to both male and female students at the same time.
Mr D continued with a stream of on-point teaching-related jokes that drew tears from fellow educators (perhaps sorrow for the trials and tribulations that teachers face, but primarily from laughter), and provided teachers with a possible behaviour management resource they may take into their own classrooms – the Shhhhhh Fan, its sole reason for existence to shush the kids who just won’t shush. As the show came to a close, Dombrowski entertained the crowd with interpretive dance performances of classroom scenarios, which resulted in one of the most beloved elements of the night. This. Was. A. Hit. With the likes of Cardi B, Whitney Houston, Ludacris, Beyoncé, and Missy Elliot as backing tracks, Dombrowski paraded himself across the stage in, with what many had said, could have been an entire show in itself. A one-hour show of Mr D’s interpretive dance? Yes, please!
There were (brief) moments when country-specific language was used, however, and Dombrowski had certainly done his research so the majority of his references were easily understood by the Australian audience. He even went so far as to connect with them after the show over a pint, and provided the opportunity for photos.
Dombrowski killed it. Yes, this set is very much aimed at contemporary educators, but a lot of the humour provided was universal. With future sets to expand beyond the classroom theme, and an optimist, enthusiastic demeanour, Joe “Mr. D” Dombrowski is one to keep an eye on.
JADE SCHRANDT
