Comedy Festival 2018: Emerging comics rise to the mic in The Deadly Funny National Final and Showcase
THE National Final Showcase of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island comics delivers plenty of laughs.
Comedy Festival
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ANYONE who’s ever done stand-up knows how hard it can be. It takes guts. So the emerging comics who entertained a full crowd for the 13th Deadly Funny Showcase are to be applauded for rising to the challenge in what can be a pretty tough career calling.
Last year’s champion Ghenoa Gela acted as a genial MC, topping and tailing performances from a dozen Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander comics, who each delivered a tight five (or in a couple of cases, a tight 10 until the lights had to be dipped on them).
Each finalist displayed a confidence belying his or her experience. For Dora Smith (“my mind’s in the gutter”) this was her first time exploring stand-up. A number of other performers were back in the final for a second time.
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The impressive Bill Makin from the ACT had perhaps the best collection of jokes in the showcase, including a great opening gag about Game of Thrones.
“Deep thinker” Maggie Walsh looked as comfortable on stage as a seasoned professional. Hailing from the Northern Territory, 60-year-old June Mills delivered a great bit about the disastrous fate of a new hose she’d recently bought. Dion Williams came out swinging with a bunch of rapid-fire gags, each accompanied by a cheeky grin.
Ultimately, it was Queenslander Leon Filewood who was adjudged the 2018 champ. His set was the most perfectly rounded of the showcase, mixing social commentary (“there are two indigenous races in Australia — the Melbourne Cup and the Sydney to Hobart”) with some amusing personal riffs.
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He also offered some timely material on the Commonwealth Games and to wrap up his spot, a nice callback reference to, er, skinny ankles.
Like the Gala, RAW Comedy, Class Clowns and Upfront, Deadly Funny is a staple of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s annual programming and offers a great opportunity for indigenous performers to gain experience and exposure.
Will any of the comics in this year’s showcase kick on? Who knows? The thing is, though, they had the guts to stand up — and now they’re on their way.
The Deadly Funny National Final and Showcase
Arts Centre, St. Kilda Rd, Melbourne.
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