by ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
Can you believe there’s an entire generation of comedy fans who never got to see Mitch Hedberg perform live? It has been 20 years since that stand-up legend left us far too soon.
And yet Australian comedian Dan Rath fully fills that Mitch itch, somehow writing some of the smartest, darkest and funniest jokes you couldn’t possibly imagine until you heard them come out of Rath’s mouth. Albeit with a cynical Aussie flair.
Rath will make you rethink the concepts of gaslighting or ghosting in some moments, and then in another, fall into a full-on act-out to demonstrate how you cannot have FOMO if you’ve lived your whole life in North Korea. Plenty of stand-ups can tell you a joke involving Ozempic in 2025, but none of them have a take like his. Or how about how much punch he lands in just one line with his thoughts on they/them pronouns: “If someone says they’re coming over and one person shows up, I’m relieved!”
If there’s one trait I wish he hadn’t already channelled from Hedberg, it’s Rath’s propensity to be too quick to think a gag has fallen short of greatness. Self-deprecation is one thing, but he shouldn’t lack for confidence in the strength of his zingers. Even if he gets in at least one great dig after one bit didn’t quite make logistical sense. “Material shrinks under scrutiny.”
Luckily, Rath’s comedic abilities do not suffer such shrinkage.
Dan Rath: Tropical Depression plays CabVol 1 at Monkey Barrel through Aug. 24, 2025.
