Stephen K Amos has done some brilliant work’brilliant enough that I’ve got tapes of his routines from various comedy festivals, including his set for Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s Great Debate in 2005, which I also saw live. The topic was ‘Does God have a sense of humour?’

Unfortunately, this just means I have video proof that Amos’s routine this year was peppered with stale material. His latest set contains a good handful of religion-themed jokes lifted from the 2005 debate.

I know that all comedians recycle stuff’sometimes a joke is too good not to repeat’but this is two years after the fact. I expect a little more effort from an A-list comedian like Amos. He is, after all, a great talent.

Several jokes from this year’s set had me cackin’ me pants, as he wove tales of his childhood with observations about race and culture and ruminations on religion. And, like a true seasoned performer, Amos knows how to interact with an audience.

When he brought up football, a man in the audience shouted out, ‘Eagles!’

Quick as a flash, Amos said, ‘Penguins! What game are we playing?’

Now that’s skill.

I’m an Amos fan. I always have been. I think he’s a clever, snappy fellow. But he ought to avoid those live repeats.

Kent is as amiable as Adam Hills, as raw and energetic as Wil Anderson, and as dorky as a young Rove McManus before his move to Channel 10. But he’s not them’he’s him.

Valentine has based his show around the guiding premise: what would Jesus do? However, being that Jesus had several water-related superpowers, Valentine decides that Jesus mightn’t be the best example for an ordinary guy to follow. Instead, Valentine consults Batman, a self-made mortal god with ‘really great branding’. From this, Valentine builds comic stories about his everyday life with the voice of Batman providing commentary and advice.

What emerges is a series of dialogues between Valentine, the characters in his stories, and the husky voice of Batman. Because he’s a whiz with accents, his lightning-fast switches from character to character are absolutely cack worthy.

Valentine still hasn’t shaken his penchant for pointing out his mistakes, an unfortunate sideeffect of having his act so thoroughly rehearsed. But all is forgiven because the stuff that does work is so damned good. I saw Kent last year. I saw him this year. And I’ll definitely see him next year.

There are a handful of guffaws in the set, my personal favourite being a depiction of the ‘Interventionist God’ working away at his world computer (with a cameo by Allah). In fact, while Valentine does not alter his voice greatly, his impressions of people are a highlight of the act.

However, he is a newbie to the circuit and it shows in his limited ability to interact with the intimate audience. He does pass a bag of jelly beans round to begin the show, but later, when he ad libs during the set or addresses members of the audience, the flow is interrupted. Occasionally he will notice a joke that has failed and send it off with a muttered epitaph: ‘I took a chance, and it didn’t work. Moving on’? These small lapses in self-assurance diminish his otherwise confident tone.

While the set has its lesser moments and lulls in the laughter, Valentine engages his audience and appears at ease before them. And, most importantly, he displays several flashes of comedy gold, which indicate that young Kent Valentine could be looking at a successful comic career.

Overall, the show’s humour value is mixed. Its obvious problem is the wide demographic it must cover. It is a family event, with most of the comics catering to the children in the audience, but clearly several of them must limit themselves in order to keep the material G rated.

Still, it’s a generous offering from the comedians involved, and the kids should appreciate it. Just remember to seat them up the front. They might even get to have a shot at Karajoke!