This is my new show, Touching My Active Mind. I’m leaning into all the fun stuff that makes a room feel alive. There’ll be an essay, one part that delves into the taboos of comedy, a joke that’s really wet, and one prank . Also I got a revelation I wanna talk about. I want the show to feel playful and unexpected, like we’re all in on something together. It’s comedy, but with space to muck around, be a bit janky, and try things that feel fresh. If you’re coming, you’re part of the energy and we’re going to make the night feel new, fun, and little bit dangerous.
There is a particular kind of chaos that only David Correos can conjure, and Touching My Active Mind throws you into it before you even realise the show has begun. His show begins long before the lights officially come up. He is already darting around the room in half darkness, shifting props, whispering to audience members, and building a kind of manic anticipation that hits you before you even realise the show has started. It is chaotic, unfiltered, and unmistakably David.
Trying to describe David Correos is almost impossible. He is strange in the most committed way, a performer who leans so fully into his own oddness that it becomes magnetic. He is confident, but not in the polished, rehearsed sense. His confidence comes from a place of pure instinct, like he trusts whatever bizarre impulse arrives in his brain and follows it without hesitation. At the same time, he constantly checks in with the audience, fishing for affirmation, demanding reactions, and pulling people into his orbit whether they are ready or not. It creates a rhythm that is messy and unpredictable, but also deeply entertaining.
The energy he brings is frenetic. He moves like someone powered by a battery that is slightly too strong for the device it is in. Before the show even begins, he is sprinting across the stage, adjusting things, muttering to himself, and interacting with people in the front rows. It is impossible not to get swept up in it. The audience is buzzing before the first official line is spoken.
One of the most delightful parts of the show is his use of props. It is clear he has raided the cheapest shops he could find, grabbing whatever odd items caught his eye. None of it matches. None of it makes sense. And that is exactly why it works. He treats every object like a puzzle he is determined to solve in the most ridiculous way possible. Watching him figure out how to use a prop is often funnier than the bit itself. There is a childlike curiosity in the way he handles things, as if he is discovering them for the first time right in front of you.
Then there are the outfits. Layers upon layers of clothing, each reveal more absurd than the last. You never know how many costumes he has on, or what direction the next transformation will take. Every time he peels off a layer, the audience erupts. It becomes a running gag that never loses its charm because he commits to each reveal with absolute seriousness, even when the outfit underneath is completely unhinged.
David is at his best when he is making fun of himself. He talks about his own mishaps, his travel disasters, the strange situations he finds himself in, and the way his own body seems to betray him at the worst possible moments. There is something incredibly endearing about a comedian who uses himself as the punchline. It makes the audience feel like he is laughing with them, not performing at them. That sense of shared ridiculousness is one of the reasons people connect with him so strongly.
An effective element of the show is the way he plays with lighting and sound. There are moments where the lights shift, the audio warps, and suddenly the entire tone of the room changes. He will stop mid‑bit, question what just happened, and then redo the moment with slight variations. It creates a looping effect that feels improvised but is clearly crafted with intention. It keeps the audience on their toes, wondering whether the moment is planned or if David has genuinely derailed himself. That uncertainty is part of the fun.
One of the most memorable scenes of the night is the restaurant sequence. It is absurd, chaotic, and has almost no connection to anything else in the show, which somehow makes it even better. It is the kind of bit that feels like it should not work, yet it becomes one of the highlights because of how fully he commits to the madness. It is a perfect example of David’s ability to take something simple and push it into a realm of pure silliness.
There are moments where the show dips into repetition, where a bit stretches slightly longer than it needs to. But even then, David has a way of pulling it back. Just when you think a joke has run its course, he pivots, loops back to something from earlier, or twists the moment into a new direction. Those unexpected payoffs are some of the biggest laughs of the night. He creates these strange narrative circles that only make sense in hindsight, and when the pieces click together, the audience cracks up.
What makes Touching My Active Mind so compelling is how organic it feels. Even though the show is clearly structured, it never feels rigid. David leaves space for chaos, for audience reactions, for things to go wrong in the best possible way. He thrives in that unpredictability. It gives the show a rawness that feels alive, like anything could happen at any moment.
By the end of the night, the audience feels like they have been through something together. Not a tidy, polished comedy set, but a shared fever dream guided by a performer who is equal parts genius and gremlin. David Correos is a force of nature. Strange, chaotic, endlessly creative, and completely himself. Touching My Active Mind is a wild ride, but one that leaves you laughing long after you leave the venue.
David is not for everyone, and he does not try to be. That is part of his brilliance. He knows exactly what he is doing, even when it looks like he has no idea at all. He is a performer who thrives in the unexpected, who finds comedy in the mess, and who brings an energy that is impossible to replicate. Touching My Active Mind is David Correos at full power, and it is an experience worth having.
The show is part of the NZ International Comedy Festival. Find tickets to a show near you here
Review written by Alex Moulton