Paul Williams, the New Zealand version of Little Alex Horne in Taskmaster NZ, sets expectations from the outset of his new show ‘Don’t Look at Me’. With a keyboard in front of him and a projection screen beside him, he explains that his shows are usually about the big moments of his year. But since none came along this time, he has decided to focus simply on his life stories.

He jokes, talks, and occasionally sings, beginning with his favourites, colours, films, animals, before moving on to the places that have shaped him. It starts in Nelson, his hometown and the site of his first stage experience, and expands to include his family, where all three siblings became comedians. From there, he recounts teenage memories of a Shakespeare camp with ghostly tales, an accident during his first television job in a New Zealand soap opera, his admiration for American snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis, and his travels around the world.

The climax arrives in Edinburgh itself. Williams recalls a crisis at last year’s Fringe when he suffered a triple blow: rejection from a UK agent, a Pleasance staff member who cut his performer pass with a smile, and the sting of a three-star review. Together, these blows left him questioning whether to continue with stand-up.  What drew him back was James Mangold’s 2024 film A Complete Unknown, which reignited his determination to continue.

As Williams himself admits, ‘Don’t Look at Me‘ deals with ‘First World problems’. A few slippery jokes about abortion and racism appear, but they are minor and relatively comfortable. His stories, as a middle-class straight white man, avoid heavy politics or trauma. Yet with his natural stage presence, some lovely songs, sharp audience interaction, and improvisational flair, he turns even small stories into engaging theatre. Lighthearted, funny, and self-aware, ‘Don’t Look at Me‘ makes it clear why audiences will be eager to see Williams return to the Fringe next year.

‘Don’t Look at Me‘ has finished its Fringe run