Category: Comedy

Comedy, Festivals, Performances, Review, Theatre, Whats On March 30, 2015March 30, 2015

REVIEW: Bare Elements Productions presents A Dinner to Die For

A killer comedic dinner

By Myron My

I do love a good murder mystery. I’ve spent countless hours playing Cluedo (and watching the film religiously) and even hosted a few of my own murder mystery dinner parties. So when I saw one was being produced by Bare Elements Productions during the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, I knew I had to get involved.

A Dinner to Die For is set in 1928, and we are invited to Lord Quinten Daventry’s (Craig Thompson) birthday dinner at his grand home. Invited are many of his good friends (and perhaps some of his not so good friends), including Fanny Farquar (Charlotte Strantzen), Great Uncle Bernie (Simon J Robinson), Captain Montague Smedley-Downes (Ben Loxham) and Gwendella Garavinah (Teagan Robertson). Over the course of the evening, secrets are revealed, love is declared and murder is committed, and this all before the main course is even served!

All the actors remained committed to their characters, improvising both with the guests and as the story progressed. Sure the story has a few holes and not everything runs smoothly but that’s also its charm. It’s over the top, high-camp fun and filled with lots of sexual innuendo and puns – it’s no accident that one of the characters is called Fanny.

The beauty of such an event is that you are free to engage in as much of the events as you like. If like me, you are a bit performance-inclined you can mingle with the actors and others guests as much as you like, but if you would prefer to sit back and watch the story unfold, you can. The only problem is, with only five actors and roughly twenty guests, there is only so much time you can engage with the characters and to give them a quick interrogation, but that’s probably me wanting more than my 15 minutes of fame.

An evening of séances, severed limbs and darkly held secrets are all part of the festivities at A Dinner to Die For. Personally speaking, the more you choose to involve yourself in the antics the more fun you are likely to have. There are only three shows left for its comedy festival run so book now. After all, your next meal could be your last.

Venue: The Retreat Hotel, 226 Nicholson St, Abbotsford

Season: Until 18 April | Sat 7.15pm

Tickets: $75 Full |

Bookings: Bare Elements Productions

Comedy, Events, Festivals, Musical Theatre, Review, Whats On March 29, 2015March 29, 2015

REVIEW: Trifle Theatre company presents AVENUE Q

An unplifting transition into adulthood

By Myron My

Having seen the West End production six years ago (and remembering it strongly), I had high expectations for Trifle Theatre Company’s production of Avenue Q. Furthermore, I had some reservations as to whether it could match the magic of my original viewing, but within the first few minutes that doubt disappeared. We may only be in March but I can confidently say that this will be one of the best shows I see this year.

The story follows a recent college graduate, Princeton (played by Jordan Pollard), who is a little wet behind the ears and entering the “real world”. Moving to Avenue Q (the best he can afford) he gets acquainted with the locals, including Kate Monster (played by Sarah Golding), Trekkie Monster (played by the wonderful Andy McDougall), married human couple Christmas Eve and Brian (Leah Lim and Michael Linder) and Gary Coleman (in a interesting casting choice, played by Zuleika Khan).

What follows is two hours of sharp and witty comedy and laughs as each character works towards finding their way in life. Despite the sexually charged innuendo and racy songs such as “Everyone’s A Little Bit Racist” and “The Internet Is For Porn”, there is much heart in these stories and that often-confusing transition into adulthood. The whole cast, including the ensemble, work seamlessly with the puppets and manage to create some human emotion through their movements, actions and speech.

Lighting work by Jason Bovaird captures the mood of the characters and the environment brilliantly and the stage design by Jacob Battista authentically replicates a shabby, down-town New York city block. The six piece band however, led by Musical Director David Wisken, are truly amazing in their unseen performance in a separate room to the small stage.

Avenue Q pushes boundaries between clever and lewd and the only way it succeeds is because puppets can get away with a lot more on stage than any actor could. With a big dose of disbelief, it perfectly blends the innocence of a childhood with the scary realisations of adulthood and creates an uplifting and affirming story about change and transition. Director Stephen Wheat should be congratulated on not only creating a show that is on par with its predecessors but also allowing it to form its own individuality and uniqueness.

I am strongly encouraging people to go and see this production, but the whole season has already completely sold out. Guess it really does suck to be you.

Venue: Chapel Off Chapel, 12 Little Chapel St, Prahran

Season: Until 11 April | Tue-Sun 8:00pm, Sat 2:00pm

Tickets: $43.50 Full | $38.50 Conc

Bookings: www.chapeloffchapel.com.au or 8290 7000

Cabaret, Comedy, Events, Festivals, Musical Theatre, Review, Whats On March 28, 2015

REVIEW: Is it Flirting, Or is it Not?

Lots of flirtatious fun

By Narelle Wood

Kelly Rose Ryan deals with the hard topics and questions that affect us all through her musical investigation, seeking answers to Is it Flirting, or is it Not? From scenarios dealing with the timing of a text message, a pat on the arm, or a ‘hey’ from your local barrister, no stone is left unturned in examining whether a simple interaction is the blossoming of life-long-love.

Ryan is sassy in her portrayal of flirtatious women at all different stages of their lives. Beginning with the innocent schoolyard crushes to the more sophisticated negotiating of adult relationships, Ryan attempts to discover exactly what each potential romantic interaction means. The stories range from heart-breaking break-ups to Saturdays night in as a cat lady.

The musical numbers include R. Kelly and some suave Gershwin, each song adding another opportunity for some flirting analysis. In a fairly unobtrusive manner, Ryan asks for audience participation, requesting their opinions and advice on some of the more ambiguous flirting moments. On this particular night, there was no definitive answer and Ryan makes a very valid argument for us all to be much more like Prince Charming.

Is it Flirting, or is it Not? may not deliver the answers about what constitutes a flirtatious encounter but does deliver lots of laughs. A cute show that hits all the right notes resulting in a really fun and flirty show.

Venue: The Butterfly Club, Carson Place, Melbourne

Season: 2^nd and 3^rd April, 7pm

Tickets: Full $32| Conc $28

Bookings: http://www.thebutterflyclub.com/show/is-it-flirting-or-is-it-not

Comedy, Events, Festivals, Whats On March 28, 2015March 28, 2015

REVIEW: Aunty Donna

Sketches of comedic truth

By Narelle Wood

It was clear while lining up for this show that I didn’t really fit into the normal demographic of Aunty Donna’s target audience. So it was with a little trepidation that I went to what this show.

The comedy trio of Mark Samual Bonanno, Broden Kelly and Zachary Ruane that is Aunty Donna provide a series of comedy sketches, which while all separate sketches do strangely come together in the end with the help of their nemesis comedy group the Bubble Bath Boys. Many of the funniest sketches are based on comedic truths, such as standing in queues, misreading situations and playing ball in the quadrangle.

The combination of music, dialogue and dance makes for a very energetic show that smoothly transitions from one sketch to the next. The comedic timing is perfect and while the show heads towards some ‘smutty’ comedy, it approaches the line but for me it never crossed it. This means the show is funny without being cringe worthy, and that I was happy to forgive being hit in the face with water.

Aunty Donna clearly has a following and I now understand why; there is something reminiscent of DAAS in their sketch comedy performance. While there are plenty of shows to select from in the Comedy Festival, but if sketch comedy is what makes you laugh most, make sure you catch Aunty Donna.

Venue: The Cube, ACMI, Federation Square

Season: 9.45pm until 19^th April (Sundays 8.45pm), no show Mondays

Tickets: $27 Full | $22 Conc

Bookings: http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2015/season/shows/aunty-donna

Comedy, Events, Festivals, Review, Stand-Up Comedy, Whats On March 27, 2015

REVIEW: Dirty. Sexy. Politics

Vote Albert and Valentine

By Caitlin McGrane

Come for the satire, stay for the music.

There is little fanfare as Tom Albert and Sam Valentine stumble through the velvet curtain to take the stage in The Butterfly Club; and initially they seem to have been kicked on stage by their manager. Do not be fooled however, for behind their boyish exteriors beat two bitingly cynical political hearts. These two vagabonds begin with an emphatic plea to the room to have them as their elected representatives. Representatives of what, exactly, is slightly unclear but it’s definitely something to do with sex. All the innuendo and double entendres is a useful way to get the audience fired up initially, it’s just a shame this energy couldn’t have continued throughout.

No doubt creative, intelligent and energetic performers, Dirty. Sexy. Politics has the makings of a great show, I’m just not sure that we haven’t heard some of what they’re saying before. Surely I can’t be the only person who’s heard the one about the party whip? However, two things captured and held my attention in this show: the music, which was entertaining, irreverent, and poignant in places; and the quick asides from the performers when they appeared to slip from the ‘script’.

Albert and Valentine (a double act name that rolls easily off the tongue) shine on stage as vaudevillian counterparts, and I can’t wait to see what they come up with next. I particularly enjoyed the unions song, and when Valentine singled out my companion as a likely candidate for sexual dysfunction. I laughed most of the way through the hour, and had a thoroughly good time. This election, I’m voting for Albert and Valentine.

Venue: The Butterfly Club, Carson Place, Melbourne

Season: Saturday 28^th March 7pm and Sunday 29^th March 6pm.

Price: Full $28 |Conc $25

Tickets: http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2015/season/shows/dirty-sexy-politics

Comedy, Events, Performances, Review, Whats On March 27, 2015March 27, 2015

REVIEW: Quiet Achievers

A quietly improvised comedy

By Myron My

Performing an improvised comedy show can be more terrifying than performing stand up. You have no idea what’s going to happen next from both your fellow cast and the audience. In essence, you have no safety net. You’d think that’s risky enough but the Quiet Achievers have taken it a step further with their Melbourne International Comedy Festival show and taken away a comedian’s most powerful tool; their voice.

With nothing but a musical soundtrack of 500 songs played at random, the Quiet Achievers (Andrew Strano and Charlie Sturgeon) set out to captivate us with a mixed bag of silent impro sketches. As with any impro show, there is always a chance scenes will not hit the mark and with this show there are moments when stories fizzle out with an awkward ending or the story gets convoluted and confusing.

However, the two are charming and affable enough to get the audience on side early on so even when things go haywire, we don’t mind and can still appreciate the performance. There are some brilliant moments from this talented duo though, including the kite flying love story and their story about the little bird that learnt how to stand up for itself.

Strano and Sturgeon are a great pair to watch on stage. Strano’s comedy man to Sturgeon’s straight man is highly complimentary and the two have a great connection on stage. They are constantly aware of each other and what they are doing; they work hard (but seemingly easily) at giving each other a good time and making their partner look good. They happily accept every offer in advancing the story with confidence and a sense of fun.

There are a number of improvised comedy shows on during the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, but if you’re looking for something a little different, a little riskier but very rewarding, then the Quiet Achievers is the show for you.

Venue: Tuxedo Cat, 17-23 Wills St, Melbourne

Season: Until 4 April | Mon – Sat 6pm, Sun 5pm (no Wednesday show)

Tickets: $15 Full | $12 Conc

Bookings: Try Booking

Comedy, Performances, Whats On March 3, 2015March 3, 2015

REVIEW: Impro Melbourne’s SUPERSCENE and SMELLS LIKE A SONG

Let the competition begin

By Narelle Wood

Impro Melbourne presents two unique improvisation experiences in their double feature SuperScene and Smells Like a Song.

SuperScene is competitive improvisation where five directors each construct a unique story and the audience holds the power to vote off a director at a time, until there is only one left standing for the Super Scene. It didn’t appear as thought the stories always went in the direction that the director had originally intended, with a few of the performers throwing in their own interpretative responses to where the scenes were headed. Needless to say, we were treated to five very unique stories.

Among the storylines that didn’t make the cut were the Victorian Era succubus/Inspector Doris mystery and the 60’s artistic beatnik drama. I really wanted to see what happened to the 60’s artist played by Sarah, partly because the storyline was great but also because Sarah’s performance was incredible. I struggled with not knowing how all the stories ended, but in the world of competitive improvisation only one director gets the prize. The Super Scene was the conclusion to the epic World War II German Blimp catastrophe in Utah. This story had everything from storms, to accents, to an accidental bombing of small town America.

The second half of the show was dedicated to Smells Like a Song, an improvised musical where the audience again had the power to decide not only when the songs would happen, but what the songs would be about, by throwing a rose onto the stage and shouting “smells like a song”. The performers pulled together a storyline that combined an actor’s dream, an evil plastic surgeon and William Shakespeare to fulfil the original audience suggestion of ‘Hot Lips’. It boarded on the bizarre at times due to the audience’s selections of songs, but the undeniably talented performers made it all work and delivered lots of laughable moments.

Musical director Boris Connelly, along with the lighting and stage crew, provided all the atmospheric and actual props the performers desired. Connelly’s music was the perfect backdrop to the antics on stage.

SuperScene and Smells Like a Song is a joyous way to wrap up a weekend and exceptionally good value given the talent and the price of tickets. A show that you could see over and over again.

Venue: The Space Dance Hall, 5a Carlton St Prahran
Season: 7.30pm Sundays until March 21st
Tickets: $10 online | $12 at the door
Bookings: www.impromelbourne.com.au/shows

Comedy, Festivals, Performances, Whats On January 28, 2015

REVIEW: Midsumma Festival’s THE SPARROW MEN

Impro duo take fantastic flight

By Narelle Wood

Marcus Willis and Andy Balloch are The Sparrow Men whom each night promise to take their audience on a completely unique, completely improvised adventure. Combining the audience suggestions of ‘tennis’ and ‘hostage situation’, we were treated to what can only be described as a bizarre, funny and at times surprisingly poignant hour of improvised entertainment.

Taking us on this journey was a sociopathic wannabe-tennis player, his besotted hostage (apparently Stockholm syndrome can work out) and a restaurant with 3 kilos of Parmesan cheese. But it was the honest account of how cookbooks are actually a way for ‘The Man’ to control our lives that provided the rare, and hopefully fictional, glimpse into the inner workings of Jamie Oliver’s brain. This, coupled with a scene where a TV was literally killing a man, was what turned this performance into a social commentary on the pitfalls of consumerism.

I’m fascinated by improvised theatre and the spontaneous development of scene and story. Marcus and Andy are very talented, playing skilfully off each other’s suggestions and mostly keeping a straight face; there were moments of unusual and whacky suggestion that were clearly unexpected and made it all the more entertaining.

The only thing lacking for me was a tying-up of all the vignettes at the end of the show – perhaps it wasn’t necessary but there were some characters that I was really interested to find out how they fitted into the bigger picture and what became of them. Did Corey and Jessica get the woof whistles from the construction workers that their hearts truly desired?

Whatever your expectations of improvised theatre, The Sparrow Men presented by The Butterfly Club and The Improv Conspiracy provide a joyous frolic down whatever path the audience provides and it’s certainly a show that you could see over and over again.

Venue: The Butterfly Club, Carson Place, Melbourne
Season: Wed 28th January and Sunday 1st February 8pm, Thursday 29th to Saturday 31st January 9pm
Tickets: Full $28 | Conc $24
Bookings: www.thebutterflyclub.com/show/the-sparrow-men

Comedy, Events, Whats On January 12, 2015January 19, 2015

REVIEW: The Australian Shakespeare Company Presents CARIBBEAN PIRATES AT THE POLLY WOODSIDE

Here be pirates!

By Kim Edwards

The weather may have looked a little threatening, but not so the rambunctious and rapscallion band of pirates that have taken over a Melbourne icon this month. Carribean Pirates at the Polly Woodside is a fun family event for these school holidays, as a lovable crew of boisterous bucchaneers steal a treasure map, stage a mutiny, sing sea shanties and defeat the villain both on shore and onboard the historical sailing ship.

The opening of the show and warm-up audience interaction with Scurvy Dave (Andrew Kronert), Empty Drawer (Caspar Conrick) and Major Key (Jon Peck) was utterly sensational: the banter and comic chemistry between the three performers was superb, and their musical abilities and hilarious ad-libs throughout the show won my heart entirely. Glenn Elston‘s script has plenty of familiar piratical devices at play: I particularly liked the pantomine inclusion of Larry the cabin boy/Sally (the engaging Lucy Gransbury). the faithful ‘he’s behind you!’ jokes, and a few prop surprises late in the show. However, the storyline is convoluted and seemed to miss a lot of opportunities for clear set-ups, running jokes and more significant audience participation that would have kept the ‘new recruits’ more fully involved throughout.

The cast are high-energy and strongly committed to making the most of all they, have under the strong direction of Doru Surcel who is also the swashbuckling and evil Captain Cutthroat: Christina Marks works valiantly with the rather unsatisfying character of the Gypsy Pirate, the sword-fight choreography is excellent, and the impro demands of the location and excited young viewers were met with aplomb (the fist-shaking quips at the barrage of low-flying helicopters were an especial highlight.)

Overall, the unusual setting is delightful, there’s slapstick provided for the kids and real wit for the adults, and when the plot begins to drag or the exposition thickens, the cast are quick to rev their audience back up again as soon as the opportunity arises. Comfy shoes, hats and sunscreen, and coats are necessary bring-along booty for any outdoor theatre in Melbourne. A group ticket for four is $90, but the show is a good 90 minutes long, the wonderful performers are working hard to entertain on multiple levels, and your little pirates will even go home with a few golden pebbles as souvenir treasure.

DATES: Tue 13 – Fri 16 Jan 2015 at 6pm

Sat 17 Jan 2015 at 10am & 6pm

Mon 19 – Thur 22 Jan 2015 at 10am

Fri 23 & Sat 24 Jan 2015 at 10am & 6pm

WHERE: 21 South Wharf Promenade, South Wharf
(on the Yarra in front of the Melbourne Exhibition Centre)

TICKETS: 038676 7511, www.shakespeareaustralia.com.au or Ticketmaster 136100

Comedy, Review, Theatre October 3, 2014

REVIEW: HIT Productions Presents THE 39 STEPS

Cast of four fuel this fabulous farce

By Lyn Collet

Adapted by Patrick Barlow from an original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon, this beloved British romp is based on the 1935 Hitchcock spy thriller movie and novel by John Buchan. The London’s West End production is currently the longest running comedy. The 39 Steps begins with Richard Hannay, an innocent man, learning too much about a dangerous spy ring and being pursued across Scotland before returning to London to foil the villain’s dastardly plans.

This return season touring production features over a hundred characters played by four very versatile and competent actors – Mike Smith (who plays the hero Hannay), whilst Anna Burgess, Sam Haft and Michael Lindner are kept busy cleverly portraying the rest of the hilarious ensemble.

Having previously seen the famous West End production, a few of the memorable comedic moments were missed in this re-staged version, but director Terence O’Connell has made this a fast moving, very funny show with simple, but very effective sets and props by Jacob Battista and with lighting by designer Jason Bovaird.

Costume designer Kim Bishop has produced just the right outfits for the very quick changes needed for the very humorous characters and settings, while choreographer Alana Scanlan has created some very well-rehearsed choreography with great physical and comic timing.

This is indeed a “jolly good show”, and it is unfortunate that there are only 4 final Melbourne performances on this tour.

The 39 Steps will be playing at the Athenaeum Theatre – Thursday 2 October at 7.30 pm, Friday 3 October at 7.30 pm and Saturday 4 October 2 pm and 7.30 pm.

Bookings: 03 9650 1500

Ticketek: 132 849 / www.ticketek.com.au