Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2017: WIL ANDERSON is CRITICALLY ILL

Poignantly and gloriously funny

By Jessica Cornish

Exuding wit, personality and bundles of charisma, Wil Anderson is proudly performing his newest show Critically Ill for his twenty-second consecutive appearance at the 2017 Melbourne International Comedy Festival at the iconic Comedy Theatre.

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Anderson’s high-energy show examined the dire state of the world and the biggest problems facing our society ranging from climate change, privilege and domestic violence. His show boldly makes fun of the ignorance and absurdities displayed by members of our society who arm themselves with a lack of facts and knowledge sourced from the world of Facebook and Buzzfeed. Accordingly, Anderson repeatedly emphasised that we are currently living a world where facts no longer matter nor hold value, which is best exemplified by the 2016 Oxford dictionary’s word of the year ‘post-truth’ meaning that ‘objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief’.

Anderson’s show is beyond hilarious and every minute was a pleasure, which is no easy feat considering the bleak subject matter. The 75-minute stand-up routine is well-structured and fast-paced as he cleverly highlighted the world on the brink of disaster with such animation and joy despite the stark realities he speaks about. The show also has a beguiling more personal element touching on his family background growing up as the son and grandson of a dairy farmer from a rural Australian town and growing in to the person and life he wanted to create for himself. I particularly enjoyed his lively imitations of himself, friends and politicians as he coaxes you into his version of the truth which he asserts should itself always be questioned.

Wil Anderson’s Critically Ill is thought-provoking, bleak and joyfully funny all at once: catch him while you can.

The Comedy Theatre, cnr Lonsdale & Exhibition Sts, Melbourne

Wed 29 Mar – Sat 1 Apr: 8.45pm;
Sun 2 Apr: 6pm;
Wed 5 Apr & Thu 6 Apr: 8.45pm;
Fri 7 Apr: 9.30pm;
Sun 9 Apr: 6pm;
Wed 12 Apr – Fri 14 Apr: 8.45pm;
Sun 16 Apr: 6pm;
Wed 19 Apr – Fri 21 Apr: 8.45pm;
Sun 23 Apr: 6pm