Ah how I love the non tiered, close together seating and subterranean temperatures of Max Watt’s. This is where Phil Jupitus is performing one of only three gigs at the 2019 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Hailing from the UK, Jupitus is more typically seen on British panel shows than touring live stand up. Tonight he has attracted a crowd from the generations of my parents, who have no doubt seen him making wise cracks while sitting next to Stephen Fry behind the desks of QI. Although that is also where I know him from, in this audience I am one of the few people under forty. 

However unlike other comedians I have seen this festival that focus their set totally onto their own demographic, this comedy is pretty universal. There aren’t any jokes I find alienating or whiny, but Jupitus does have a soft spot for embellishment. While I am well aware of the comedian tendency to fabricate details in order to enhance a story, I have also always assumed the aim is to make these additions unrecognisable to the audience. The entire first half of the show revolves around Jupitus receiving an honorary doctorate, in the form of a winding anecdote with so many obviously false insertions that it is hard to maintain any interest. 

Fortunately the second half of the show picks up considerably. Impressions are a strong suit of Jupitus, and this section is filled with them. Seals, ducks, and a variety of accents from around the UK are scattered throughout his experiences of moving to Scotland. This part gains momentum, and if there are just as many embellishments as before, they are now much harder to spot, resulting in the audience laughing much more freely at his various mishaps and observations. 

Unfortunately the final anecdote slips again into the make believe and is a weak ending to what had otherwise been a strong finish. Jupitus even acknowledges this after the final weak line about Yakult resembling horse sperm. “It’s a weak ending” he says, before turning his back on the audience and sitting down to signal the show is over. He’s right. Although since he evidently possesses the self awareness of this, the obvious solution seems to be to just write a better ending. 

This show goes to demonstrate that stand up comedy is an art in itself. With no open ended questions or helpful hosts to keep the laughs coming, that responsibility lies solely with the comedians themselves. There are some genuinely funny and some equally disappointing moments in this show, particularly so because of audience expectation from seeing him on TV. Whilst I enjoyed this set, it could have used more drafting, rehearsal and finesse. Stand up is hard work and in this medium Jupitus feels far from home. 

Lucy Holz

Sassy by Phil Jupitus ran at Max Watt’s in the Melbourne International Comedy Festival from 17 — 19 April 2019.