Silence is golden, but laughter is pure gold.

All eyes and no talk, The Boy With Tape On His Face opened last night with enough wit to whet the appetite of every man and his dog. Dog and bone aside, the audience ate the free-flowing gags with ease and straight from his palm. As a slapstick virtuoso he took us all on a rollercoaster ride of short original, prop-infused acts.

“The Boy” is otherwise known as Sam Wills, and he brings an awkwardly comic and curious personality to the stage. Toying with the audience like another prop from his bag, he takes the mickey out of many and commands the attention and control of everyone. This is comedy without the complexities of politics, history or intellectual rigmarole that requires too much noggin power. The working day is over after all, and all we want is just a damn good laugh. A mere five minutes in, I caught myself mid-snort and thigh slap and I knew this was an hour well spent with this taped-up lark.

With a slightly dorky school boy approach he plays off his mischievous facial expressions and loping gait. He’s all about the eyes, yet when required, he has enough attitude to keep you in line. One frizzy-haired blonde didn’t cut the mustard on stage, and was quickly ordered off stage with rude gestures and a ping-pong ball.

The soundtrack plays a vital role in the script, and Wills cleverly works his gags into a series of classic hits and sound effects. Dancing puppets, toilet seats and a brilliant bull rendition - he covers a variety of subjects with ease and has no trouble combining people and props to each. It was great for those obliging volunteers who had to overcome stage fright too.

The Boy With Tape On His Face is a master of all. Audience, props, gesture and jokes - this comic kept the cat in the bag and gags on the table.

I’m keeping silent about the gags, but can reveal we all left with gold.

By Olivia Young

The Boy With Tape On His Face is part of the NZ International Comedy Festival.

Purchase tickets to his shows on the Q Theatre website.