On a Stark and Dormy night in the tower of the Malthouse Theatre, strange happenings are afoot. The lights flicker and the wind howls (via playback), as the characters of Bunk Puppets’ sci-fi thriller are brought to life on stage by Christian Bagin and James Pratt. The production combines shadow puppetry and live-action characters to tell the story of Fox’s Family Fun Park, a theme … Continue reading Stark and Dormy: Puppets with Character
Tom Ballard’s Enough, directed by Bob Franklin and staged at the Melbourne Town Hall as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, is at its heart an opportunity to explore. And when I say explore I really mean scream into the void at the smorgasbord of imminent personal, national and global crises facing millennials today. Now, if there’s one thing I loathe watching, it’s an … Continue reading Tom Ballard: Just Can’t Get Enough
It’s hard not to be drawn in by Josh Glanc when he is on stage. He has the most incredible stage presence with sparkly eyes and a cheeky, knowing smile. You know it is going to be a wild show when the warnings displayed outside the theatre include: “Audience interaction”. This one is definitely not for the faint hearted and did cause me to cautiously … Continue reading Josh Glanc: Tomfoolery not for the fainted hearted
A Very Fancy Dinner Party may take place in “the basement” of the Victoria Hotel, as Michelle Brasier – one half of comedy act Double Denim with Laura Frew – points out whilst slapping the roof at the start of the evening, but this show deserves a thousand-seat theatre, as Brasier and Frew leave the audience gasping for air. In the past few years the … Continue reading Double Denim: A Very Funny Dinner Party
La Mama joins the ranks of the Melbourne Comedy Festival and produces a deliciously satisfying who-dunnit with all the hallmarks of a great production. The stately faux-English lounge room sets the stage as a lone man in a finely pressed suit speaks into a Dictaphone. Dénouement! begins with the investigation of a brutal murder and the audience are immediately hooked. Which of these fine characters … Continue reading Dénouement!: Cluedo on the Stage
Cal Wilson, a fiery haired kiwi comedian is back for the 2019 Melbourne International Comedy Festival for her show Gifted Underachiever. She has become a voice for the forty something year olds of the world, particularly since filming her recent Netflix special. The venue, although pokey, is packed with her exact demographic. I am seated in front of a particularly appreciative man who guffaws loudly … Continue reading Cal Wilson: Just doing her Job
With an audience of only seven people, you’d think young comedian Taco might be crumbling a little. Think again. I’m watching a self-assured, charismatic young woman use her life experiences as witty comedic material. After an interesting half-undressing start to the show (‘my friends said I had to do some undressing’), Taco and her double bass (named Terry) launch into a stream of musical comedy. … Continue reading Taco Knight: A Musical Comedy that Knows it’s Audience
At 9:30pm on a Tuesday night you’d forgive a city for being a little sleepy, but there is a buzz in Melbourne as I walk down Swanston St, it must be Comedy Festival time. I’m in town to see Anne Edmonds perform What’s Wrong With You? The show begins with Edmonds introducing herself and we’re already away, launching into an hour of high-intensity laughs. Edmonds … Continue reading Anne Edmonds: There’s nothing wrong with Anne Edmonds
Stuck in a small and charismatically slow elevator, I am reminded that pokey venues and small crowds are at the heart of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival experience. A stranger who has decided to practice his own material on this unassuming audience in the cramped elevator, reveals that not only was Tom Gleeson better before he ‘sold out’, but that he had discovered him on … Continue reading Space Force: Rocketing upwards
Remarking that a comedian is ‘likeable’ might sound like a backhanded compliment. In actuality, I think it is something many comedians find difficult to achieve – even when they’re funny, they’re so often plagued by a sense of arrogance, of finding themselves funnier than anyone in the audience, or just being plain annoying. So do not misunderstand me when I say that one of the … Continue reading Nath Valvo: Face-Achingly Funny
The Dialog 