Despite the evenings sporadic bouts of rain the house is packed as the Medium Rare Showcase kicks off at Brooklyn Bar and Lounge.

Stephen Witt, Nicole Steven and Jamaine Ross are joined by Gabriel Page, making up the quartet of amusement for the showcase.

Gabriel Page opens introducing the acts as no longer being raw slabs of meat but medium rare cuts – hence the name of the show. He follows up with a few dubious, albeit harmonious ballads that had me looking at mowing the lawn and domestic abuse in quite a different way when he was through.

When Stephen Witt hits the stage I get the impression that some devoutly Christian sect somewhere out there is missing a brother. Boy was I wrong. Stephen shares his extensive knowledge of Papakura, the suburb he grew up in. His re-enactments of situations with past girlfriends are not to be missed. For the single women scouting for love, a friendly warning, the Papakura males idea of gourmet fare is cheap red wine and a mince and cheese pie.

Wellingtonian Nicole Steven is up next with her truly original brand of funny. She’s so damn weird I love her. Traversing her material which includes her love of crossing the road diagonally, (apparently that doesn’t happen in our capital) to picking up guys she does it with an abruptness that just works. I love that she shows what she thinks of Kirk Torrance – with her tongue! Singing R Kelly’s I believe I can fly in German is so wrong it’s right.

Closing up the evening is last year’s Raw winner, Jamaine Ross, who just loves his mum. His set communicates their camaraderie and I suspect the humour is hereditary. He contemplates the ironic success of the network society during the Christchurch earthquakes and discrimination against people with beards. I found myself comparing him with the biblical Samson at one point. Does Jamaine draw power from his hair (that beard) to enhance his comical strength? I think so.

***** - 5 STARS