Category: Comedy

Comedy, Festivals, Whats On

Melbourne Fringe 2016: THE THICK OF IT

Smashingly awesome

By Myron My

Emily Taylor is one of those performers you can watch on stage for hours. Her skillful storytelling and authentic characters are captivating, to say the least, and ensure her performances will leave you feeling more connected to yourself and questioning what you value in life in ways you wouldn’t expect. Performed as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival, The Thick Of It is Taylor’s newest show and it is one not to be missed.

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We begin with Taylor – acting as more herself than one of her overt “characters” – having recently moved into a new apartment on her own and being excited over the prospects this brings. She has choices and options now: she can watch Netflix all day or go play with puppies, so many choices indeed.

It is then Taylor begins to slowly introduce the other inhabitants of The Thick Of It and her nuanced story-telling skills begin to surface. Taylor has fewer characters than previous shows, which allows us to learn more about them and gain a deeper insight into what makes them tick. These include Miles; an elderly man who wishes his neighbour would stop leaving home-cooked meals for him outside his front door, and Kyra; an obnoxiously loud, successful realtor who thinks she’s the life of the party (when she’s just obnoxiously loud).

Through these stories, a running theme gradually emerges: loneliness. All these people are experiencing loneliness in its various guises. They are all looking for – or yearning for – that connection to another. At one point, with Taylor playing the “straight” character from the opening moments, you almost see parts of the other characters coming through for just the briefest of moments. Whether this is intentional or something imagined, it reminds me that we are all the same, that despite our outward difference, we ultimately all want the same thing in life and that is to love and to be loved.

Comedy doesn’t always have to be shtick and gags: it can also be intelligent, moving, and make you think, and Taylor is highly adept at creating such sophisticated shows. The stories may not be nicely wrapped up in the end, but then neither is real life. In one regard, it’s nicer to leave The Thick Of It with our own endings for these characters we’ve come to know and appreciate: hopefully ones where everything turns out for the better.

Venue: The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Place, Melbourne
Season: until 25 September| Thurs – Sun 8.30pm
Length: 60 minutes
Tickets: $32 Full | $28 Conc |  $25 Groups 6+
Bookings: Melbourne Fringe Festival

Comedy, Review, Whats On

Joshua Ladgrove in NEAL PORTENZA NEAL PORTENZA NEAL PORTENZA NEAL PORTENZA NEAL PORTENZA NEAL PORTENZA NEAL PORTENZA. TRACEY.

Incessantly and enthrallingly funny

By Myron My

What’s in a name? It certainly doesn’t matter in Joshua Ladgrove’s Neal Portenza Neal Portenza Neal Portenza Neal Portenza Neal Portenza Neal Portenza Neal Portenza. Tracey, but it is a clear indication of the type of show this is. It is 60 minutes of comedy that will have you snorting with laughter, squirming in your seat and wondering what goes on inside Neal Portenza’s – and Ladgrove’s – head, all at the same time. 

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As with his previous shows, this is a combination of scripted absurdist comedy with many opportunities for improvisation and off-the-cuff humour, with much of this born from Ladgrove’s interactions with his audience. A running joke on the night I attended was based around two people working in the medical profession and Ladgrove attempting to explain things in medical terms so that they would understand.

It’s the type of show that the more the audience feeds him, the bigger and crazier the show will get, such as the woman who very happily volunteered to lick sauce off Ladgrove’s chest and a male audience member nonchalantly removing his t-shirt because he was asked to. However, Ladgrove is aware of boundaries and there is never a moment where anyone who puts their hand up is made to feel uncomfortable or unsafe, as his skill at reading the room is highly accurate.

While this is a one-man show, Ladgrove’s tech Nathan is just as involved in Neal Portenza et al, telling him what to do and also what not to do, and injecting moments into the show that seem to genuinely surprise Ladgrove and delight the audiences. It’s a great, collaborative relationship the two seem to share and adds another element of surprise as to what the audience can expect. 

There’s no story or over-arching theme in this type of comedy. To even attempt it would be a disservice to Ladgrove and the work he is trying to create: because, for a moment in time, you were in a room, watching Neal Portenza doing things and saying things that are so utterly ridiculous that you cannot help but laugh. A lot.

Venue: The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Place, Melbourne
Season: Sunday 24 July | 8.30pm 
Tickets: $32 Full | $28 Conc 
Bookings: The Butterfly Club 

Comedy, Impro, Whats On

Impro Melbourne Presents GRAND THEFT IMPRO

It would be a crime to miss it

By Joana Simmons

After a sold-out season at this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Impro Melbourne’s encore season of Grand Theft Impro is speeding full throttle to deliver fast paced improvisational goodness. Procuring ten titles from the audience, the five players deliver scenes, songs, and storytelling over the 50-minute show, resulting in hundreds of laughs.

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The cast write the ten audience suggestions on ten cards and hang them at the back of the stage. Titles for the evening I attended included “I love my chicken” “Where’s my kale” “Sauerkraut and chips” “Such is life when you are a stuffed racoon” and “Chaffing.” At the end of each scene, it is put to the audience to vote whether the scene is complete, or a fail. If the result is the latter, the players must redo the scene, until the audience gives it the thumbs up. The quick witted cast – comprised of Rik Brown, Jenny Lovell, Patrick Duffy, Mike Bryant and special guest from Sydney Steve Kimmens and accompanied by Ian White on the keyboard- worked together to present an array of scenes, contexts and characters. The innovation and skill level is very high, with the cast using multiple improvisational tools and snappy callbacks to create captivating and cackle-worthy entertainment.

I was very impressed with how quickly the players were able to flesh out scenes by giving elaborate detail to their scene partner, setting the story early, and raising the stakes to dramatic proportions. It’s these things that give us the audience something substantial to chew on and split our sides over. Some of the scene endings and transitions were naturally a little clunky, as the tech and music are also improvised; that being said, the cast did recover well and redeemed any false starts or endings with a smart one-liner. For a show with such strong structure impro-scene-wise, it is noticeable when the song structure is not as strong. I would have loved to hear a verse-chorus-verse-chorus song with a consistent rhyme scheme; which is notoriously difficult to do – but if anyone can, it’s this dynamic crew.

Warm up your winter with a hot whisky, a pub meal and all the hilarity being dished up at the Court House Hotel every Saturday till August 27th. Tonight’s show finished with a dazzling musical journey titled “Misery and Mermaid Tails”: t’was a fantastic finale that left me feeling warm inside. Every night is different, so catch one or catch them all; you won’t be disappointed.

Show Dates

Saturday nights, 8–9pm May 28th,- August 27th

Venue

The Court House Hotel
86-90 Errol Street
North Melbourne, VIC 3051

Tickets

$15 online, $20 at the door. Show only.
Book online via Ticketmaster

Comedy, Review, Whats On

John Dore in REVOLVING DORE

Take a spin with this disarming and charming comic

By Joana Simmons

John Dore’s conversational observational comedy show, Revolving Dore, is a-dore-able. This seasoned comic (who headlined in the Perth and Melbourne Fringe Festivals and was a finalist in RAW Comedy and Green Faces and written for and starred in Channel 31’s Live On Bowen) observes the mundane humdrum of daily life and spins it into side-splitting stories and sentiments.

Revolving Dore

For an hour, John takes the audience out of the brisk Melbourne evening and under his arm – he is so relaxed and relatable you want to be friends with him, and since his endearing honesty and hilarious charm make you laugh your pants off you think a bit about being a “more than friends” with him too. Covering content from work stories to sick days, dinner parties to mouse traps, and David Attenbrough to red backs, Dore’s well thought-out segues make the show seamless.

His comedic dexterity is multi-dimensional. There’s moments of physical comedy, where his facial expression and long limbs paint pictures words can’t. A simple use of the microphone for a very specific sound effect you just have to be there to appreciate, and comedic timing and callbacks that just hit the nail on the head. He doesn’t take the easy route to laughs by covering run-of-the-mill content or picking on an audience member or using swearing as a punch line – rather, he shines his own unique light on things we can all relate to, and makes them hilarious and effortless.

Do yourselves a favour and get down to The Butterfly Club, get yourself a mulled wine, and get ready for this comedy treat. See John Dore now so you can say you saw him before he was big, because he’s going to be. I mean, with talent like his he’s more than halfway there, so support the industry, tell your friends, and make sure he gets his foot in the dore.

Show Details: Revolving Dore

Dates: 18th – 22nd of May

Time: 7pm

Cost: $25-32

Venue: The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Place, Melbourne

Tickets: thebutterflyclub.com

Comedy, Festivals, Review

MICF 2016: Zoe McDonald in GOOD MORNING MOFO

Promising characters invite solid laughs

By Myron My

Zoe McDonald’s one-woman, multiple-character comedy show Good Morning Mofo begins before it even begins. As we enter the “studio”, Channel 8 intern, Jenny, “who’s not getting paid but really happy to be here” anxiously seats everyone and ensures all health and safety issues are recognised and everyone is comfortable. After a brief audience warm-up, Channel 8’s morning show Brunch begins with host, Chloe Davis, introducing us to Women’s Week, where the whole week of episodes  will be devoted to issues that are important to women. A whole week!

Good Morning Mofo.jpg

The sly and satirical ‘hot’ topics include how bad invisible panty lines are, and how to lessen the harsh reality of laugh-lines on your face. McDonald introduces us to a variety of women both in front and behind the camera of Brunch, including weather reporter Rochelle, Pamela from wardrobe and Anita from make-up.

McDonald does stellar work with her slick impersonations and the voice and demeanour of Chloe Davis in particular feel very real, as if she actually belongs in a TV show that is the love child of 60 Minutes and Frontline. This is where the humour in the show really finds its stride and feels less forced than at other times. The subtle anxieties that Davis feels about her career and future employment opportunities could even have been explored further though as they seemed to bubble on the surface of something much more poignant.

It is clear and worthwhile what McDonald is trying to say about the representation and treatment of women in the news and entertainment industry: however, by having so many characters appear throughout the one-hour show, the script feels a little disjointed and the connections we seek with the characters don’t always manifest.

I felt the $10,000 cash-prize phone call segments between Davis and “bogan” winner Jessica Murphy could easily have been removed without impacting the show in a negative way. The scenes with the talent agent brought to the surface the issues older women face in a seemingly younger woman’s world, but the extreme way in which she was portrayed made her feel less genuine and sympathetic as a person and more of an overt caricature.

Good Morning Mofo does well in providing the laughs to the audience as it portrays a variety of interesting women all trying to make it in the cutthroat television industry and struggling to be treated as equals regardless of gender, age or appearance. With some refinement over whose story McDonald is working to explore, these important concerns will become stronger, clearer and resonate even more with the audience.

Good Morning Mofo was performed at the Malthouse Theatre as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival between 23 March – 17 April.

Cabaret, Comedy, Festivals

MICF 2016: Shirley Gnome is REAL MATURE

Frankly adult fun!

By Joana Simmons

After ripping up Adelaide and Perth Fringes, Shirley Gnome: Real Mature, was specially invited by this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival to charm our pants off with her songs and stories about things you do with your pants off. Her show is mostly about sex – but honest and hilarious rather than obscene. Combining her sheer musical talent on the vocals and acoustic guitar with her relatable rappore, make Gnome mistake, it’s one hot package.

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“Real Mature” is an appropriate title for a realistic modern-gal’s view on some relatively adult topics. Beneath the bedsheets her clever songs stroke themes of empowerment, political satire, and pop parody. This cheeky Canadian thinks the things, feels the feely feels, and puts them out there in the show sprinkled with glitter, charisma and some bootscootin’ country singing. Let me say Adele’s “Someone Like You” will never sound the same to me again.

It’s restoring seeing a woman stand up for the pure pleasure that the horizontal hokey-tokie can be, with all its’ body hair, un-photoshopped noises and nuances, and Shirley’s chatter between songs was amusing and natural. She’s banging good at doin’ it. Performing I mean. And probably “it” too. Spice up your weekend with some afternoon delight and get to The Butterfly Club with a show at 5.30 for two more nights.

Shirley Gnome: Real Mature

Dates: April 15 – 17

Time: 5:30pm

Cost: $25-32

Venue: The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Place, Melbourne

Tickets: thebutterflyclub.com

Comedy, Festivals, Whats On

MICF 2016: Corey White in THE CANE TOAD EFFECT

Bringing remarkable laughs from dark places

By Christine Young

There’s a winsome innocence and softness in the expression on Corey White’s face in the promotional photo for The Cane Toad Effect. White’s innocence and trust were torn away from him multiple times as a child but he hasn’t lost his sense of humour or his soft edge. He is fresh-faced and positive for someone who has every reason to be bitter and jaded.

Corey White.jpg

The premise of The Cane Toad Effect is that, like the introduction of cane toads to far north Queensland, there have been unintended consequences of his upbringing. White talks about his childhood with a Dad who’s a violent criminal; a Mum who’s addicted to heroin; and being abused while living with a foster family. That’s not even the half of it.
Sounds like a real laugh-a-minute, doesn’t it? It actually is.

White maintains a steady balance between the shades of dark and light in his material. He gets it. People are there to laugh and he manages to find the humorous side in situations that are otherwise inherently sad and awful.

White has created a well thought-out and structured show that plays for laughs but also has some sombre moments. There was one moment where I had tears in my eyes and then seconds later I was giggling again.

There is great skill in being able to tell stories with just the right amount of pathos and humour. White’s honesty is refreshing and gives his stories depth and substance.
Sometimes the humour is quite dark. However, in such a dense show, there were only a couple of punchlines that were received with silence.

White’s show offers an important insight into the state of state care and the ongoing physical and mental consequences of childhood neglect and trauma.

And amazingly  it still delivers lots of laughs.

Where: Forum Theatre (downstairs), Corner of Russell and Flinders Streets, Melbourne

When: Until Sat. 16 April at 7pm; final show at 6pm on Sunday 17 April

Tickets: $20-$30 www.comedyfestival.com.au or Ticketmaster 1300 660 013

Comedy, Festivals, Theatre, Whats On

MICF 2016: Lockwood Productions Presents I (HONESTLY) LOVE YOU

Loveable love story plays well for laughs

By Joana Simmons

“The naked truth is always better than the best-dressed lie.” – Ann Landers

Or is it? What if the naked truth is all you have? I (Honestly) Love You has played at Edinburgh Fringe and New York Fringe and is here to tickle the National Theatre stage and make audiences giggle and squirm with satisfaction with its not-so-conventional but oh-so-comedic tale of what happens when two people with a rare psychological condition that prohibits them from telling the truth fall madly in love.

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We are introduced to the story and told love can be “everything and nothing at the same time.” In front of a calendar backdrop with certain relationship milestones on particular dates the story ensues with sharp witty dialogue and some interesting audience interaction. If reality TV has taught us anything, it’s that it’s not necessarily what happens in reality that is exciting, but relationships- and a relationship built on complete honesty (“yes, your butt does look big in that” “I hate cricket”) is both heart-warming and hilarious.

The show has Melbourne actors Jimmy James Eaton and George Gayler in the lead roles and supported by Talei Howell- Price and Damon Lockwood– also playwright and director. Howell-Price and Lockwood do a stellar job of playing multiple supporting roles, sometimes within the same scene, which are exquisitely defined, physically and vocally. Easton’s comic timing and larger-than-life facial expressions make his eruptions of truth gut-busting and cringe-worthy in all the best ways, and Gayler gives an authentic and (obviously) honest portrayal of a woman who meets a guy she just wants to make it work with, and is an tasteful match to her onstage love.

This is the first show I’ve seen with so much thought and attention to detail put into the stage and costume design, and Cherie Hewson, the creator responsible, can’t go with out commendation. This clever, well-seasoned production will gently pluck your heart strings, question your morals and put the laugh in love. It’s great! (Honestly).

Venue: The National Theatre, St Kilda

Dates: 13 – 16 April 2016

Time: 7.30pm

Tickets: $25

Bookings: http://www.nationaltheatre.org.au

Comedy, Festivals, Whats On

MICF 2016: George and Pam IN CONVERSATION WITH SIR GEOFFREY RUSH

Move over Godot

By Joana Simmons

This year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival brings a host of big names, the greats of comedy and television. George and Pam are going to host the BIGGEST name – Australia’s favourite actor of the stage and screen- Sir Geoffrey Rush. George & Pam: In Conversation with Sir Geoffrey Rush is a brand new, absurdist character comedy starring siblings Pam (Arts Administrator) and George (Administrator of the Arts.) As the middle-aged Camberwell-born and bred duo prepares to interview their – our – esteemed guest, they shine a laughable and lovable light on theatre, fandom and the arts in all its absurdity.

George and Pam.jpg

Like a gingernut complements a cup of tea; these idiosyncratic individuals complement each other. Their storytelling and transitions to reenactments through song and voice overs is seamless and hilarious. The thing that struck me the most was how natural and believable the characters are for people who are so batty and absurd. I guess it shows there’s these little twists in all of us, and shows us how talented and clever the brains and bodies behind this operation are. Written and performed by Australian comedians Anna O’Bryan (Al & Anna’s Music Rant) and Sam Rankin (Wake Up, Sheeple!) and directed by award-winning Rachel Davis (EDGE!, Best Comedy, Melbourne Fringe 2013; Weekly Award, Adelaide Fringe 2014), it shows us that two/three heads are better than one. (Unless the one head is Sir Geoffrey’s)

It was Monday night, I’ve got a cold from the late nights of comedy and early mornings of writing and I honestly felt like climbing in a cocoon of tissues and hot toddies. It took about 30 seconds to change my mind. There’s not many days left of this festival, if you feel like you have heard every joke about Tinder, Tony Abbot and topics of the year, then you are in for a real treat, as George and Pam: In Conversation with Sir Geoffrey Rush is refreshingly sharp and witty. There’s no forced laughs or fizzles, it’s delightfully different and it’s a “YES” from me.

Venue: The Tuxedo Cat

Dates: Thursday 7th – Sunday 17th April (excluding Wednesday 13th April)

Time: 8:30pm (Sundays 7:30pm)

Tickets: Con $15, Full $20, Group of 4 + $10

Bookings: http://www.trybooking.com/175050

Comedy, Festivals, Whats On

MICF 2016: Simon Godfrey in DESTINY RACER

Turbo-charged comedy is a real winner

By Christine Young

With over 500 shows being staged at the 2016 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, there are bound to be many stinkers, and loads of punters who do exactly that – take a punt – and go home with a lighter pocket and a darker soul.

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This reviewer has way too many stinkers under her belt to sugar-coat anything, so let me say – attending Simon Godfrey’s Destiny Racer offers the complete opposite experience.

Godfrey is a dexterous performer who embodies around twenty characters (most of them humans) to tell the story of racing driver Jean Shaffer coming out of exile to race in the prestigious Le Mans 24-hour car race. But the car-racing world has changed and Jean struggles to accept borderline rocket-ship cars and the assurances of ‘Safety Steve’ that the spectators in the stands are adequately protected with large bales of hay.

Set in the 1950s, Destiny Racer plays with a range of cultural stereotypes and storytelling norms which is clever, funny and often downright silly. Godfrey’s ability to switch between characters (which includes accents, voice tone and mannerisms) is captivating. In fact the story itself plays second-fiddle to the diverse range of characters that are conjured up over the 50-minute show. Not to mention the eyebrows. Godfrey’s eyebrows are a force unto themselves.

My initial assumption that this show would not be my cup of tea was clearly wrong and superficial. This not-so-minor personal detail made the show all the more enjoyable. Plus it’s genuinely funny and Godfrey is the talented, multi-skilled performer that you often won’t find at the small venues during the Comedy Festival. Destiny Racer could just as easily prosper in a larger venue. Out of the more intimate comedy shows, it’s definitely worth checking out Simon Godfrey‘s excellent work, safe in the knowledge that you won’t be getting a stinker.

Where: Tuxedo Cat, 293-299 La Trobe St, Melbourne

When: Tues-Sat 7.15pm; Sun 6.15pm

Tickets: $16-$22  www.comedyfestival.com.au or Ticketmaster 1300 660 013