Melbourne International Comedy Festival acts that are double trouble
JUST how different are comedians to their comic creations? We asked three Melbourne International Comedy Festival acts and their alter egos to lift the lid.
Comedy Festival
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ANNE EDMONDS & HELEN BIDOU
Melbourne comedian Anne Edmonds is the star and creator of TV’s The Edge of the Bush and is a regular on Have You Been Paying Attention? This is her ninth MICF and she’s been twice nominated for a Barry Award. Her alter ego Helen Bidou debuted as a fashion expert on ABC’s morning TV send-up Get Krack!n. Enter the Spinnaker Lounge is Helen’s first stand-up show.
COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE COMEDY FESTIVAL
ANNE
It’s not fashionable, but I love …
Medieval Europe.
If I was PM for a day, I’d …
Invest more in the arts.
Describe yourself in three words.
Confused, insecure, hungry.
What’s it like spending so much time with Helen?
My life is hell(en). She has six to eight meltdowns a day, lashes out at me, then cries.
Best advice you’ve ever received?
John Clarke told me no story is my best or last and I might have to have more than one go.
In a movie of your life, who’d play you?
Helen Bidou.
Your worst job ever?
The Pancake Parlour. I got fired for smoking.
Name three things you’ve done in the past year.
Edinburgh Fringe Festival, swim-trekked through Vanuatu, fell over in public.
What’s next for you?
Writing a new TV show.
HELEN
It’s not fashionable, but I love …
Kicking back with friends beachside with some bongos … oh wait, that is fashionable.
If I was PM for the day, I’d …
Invite me round for a drink!
Describe yourself in three words.
Vivacious, heart of gold, creative.
What’s it like spending so much time with Anne?
I don’t like Anne. I feel sorry for her. She’s not vivacious and she has no fashion sense.
Best advice you’ve ever received?
“You’re too vivacious to sit at home because your second life partner Simon ‘needs a break’. You should do a comedy show, you’d be amazing.” Can’t remember who said it.
In a movie of your life, who’d play you?
Cate Blanchett.
Your worst job ever?
On the floor at Daimaru. Don’t get me started.
Name three things you’ve done in the past year.
Bali, Bali, Bali.
What’s next for you?
Probably my own fashion-based reality TV show and franchise. Phone won’t stop ringing.
Anne Edmonds’ No Offence, None Taken is on April 2, 9 and 16 at Melbourne Town Hall. Helen Bidou’s Enter the Spinnaker Lounge is on March 30-31, April 6-7, 13-15 and 20-21 at the Victoria Hotel.
AMELIA ZIRIN-BROWN & LADY RIZO
Grammy Award-winning New York cabaret star and actor Amelia Zirin-Brown has sung gospel and performed on a track for Moby. She’s been channelling chanteuse Lady Rizo for 13 years and has released two albums under her name. Lady Rizo’s new show Red, White and Indigo — her MICF debut — is a musical eulogy about America.
AMELIA
Describe yourself in three words.
Social, spontaneous, scattered.
What’s it like spending so much time
with Lady Rizo?
Sometimes exhausting. Mostly exhilarating. She’s taken me all over the world but needs a lot of attention.
How does Lady Rizo have her coffee?
In a martini.
How do you unwind?
With dark chocolate and a podcast about science or spirituality.
What would you save, apart from loved ones, in a fire?
My paintings. I have two from amazing artists from the community in Oregon I grew up in. Plus a couple of my own.
Best advice you’ve ever received?
Do things that scare you.
In a movie of your life, who’d play you?
Barbra Streisand.
Your worst job ever?
I cleaned apartments after people moved out. Pretty nasty what people who don’t care about a security deposit or hygiene do.
Name three things you’ve done in the past year.
I hiked four days into Oregon’s version of the Swiss Alps, the Wallowas. I taught my toddler son to blow kisses to strangers. I did a crowd-fund that enabled me to finish my album.
LADY RIZO
Describe yourself in three words.
Bossy, glamorous, benevolent.
What’s it like spending so much time with Amelia?
She’s good. A little scattered and tattered but I don’t mind her as long as she remembers who’s boss.
How does Amelia have her coffee?
She drinks chai, with a milk alternative. She can’t decide which is better for her health or the planet: almond or soy. Ugh, hippie.
How do you unwind?
In a bathtub with Sarah Vaughan on the Bose speaker and a marijuana cigarette. I’m not being sponsored by Bose. Or pot.
What would you save, apart from loved ones, in a fire?
The gowns, the gowns, save the gowns.
Best advice you’ve ever received?
You can do it without back-up dancers.
In a movie of your life, who’d play you?
A young Bette Midler.
Your worst job ever?
Performing at a wedding for a Trump campaign supporter this year.
Name three things you’ve done in the past year.
Put out an album and pressed vinyl for it. Shot a music video where I had live butterflies in my mouth. Basked in the setting Tuscan sun.
Lady Rizo’s Red, White and Indigo is on April 3-22 at The Famous Spiegeltent, Arts Centre Melbourne.
SPENCER JONES & THE HERBERT
Spencer Jones is a BAFTA-nominated English actor, comedian and writer. He has performed his character The Herbert since 2014. His latest show, The Audition, is a mashup of music, props and character comedy as The Herbert tries out for a movie role. This is Jones’s first MICF.
SPENCER
It’s not fashionable, but I love …
The fact I have no idea what is fashionable and have no idea how to answer this question.
Describe yourself in three words.
Dad, man, son.
What’s it like spending so much time with The Herbert?
He’s a version of me turned up to 11. He’s better than me at nearly everything.
How do you unwind?
S---! I knew there was something missing from my life.
What would you save, apart from loved ones, in a fire?
A fire extinguisher.
Best advice you’ve ever received?
“Just be nice,” from my dad. That was his usual answer when he didn’t have one.
In a movie of your life, who’d play you?
I need the money. I’d like to audition, please.
Your worst job ever?
I worked in a pastie factory. That was pretty grim.
Name three things you’ve done in the past year.
Series three of (sitcom) Upstart Crow. A pilot called Mister Winner that’s gone to series. And learnt a much better way of cooking scrambled eggs.
What’s next for you?
Egg on toast and a cup of tea — black, no sugar.
THE HERBERT
It’s not fashionable, but I love …
The noise of a dial-up modem from the 1990s.
Describe yourself in three words.
Yes I will.
What’s it like spending so much time with Spencer?
He’s keeping me in work and feeding me
so I’m not going to complain about him.
How do you unwind?
I never unwind.
What would you save, apart from loved ones, in a fire?
The fireman. I’d save him. He’d do the same for me.
Best advice you’ve ever received?
Buy a shed load of tennis balls and a vibration plate.
In a movie of your life, who’d play you?
Spencer looks like me. He could do the job, I reckon.
Your worst job ever?
A gig at a posh members’ bar. A drunk lady grabbed me by my privates, and held on. I dragged her 10 feet before her fake nails broke.
Name three things you’ve done in the past year.
Birthday, Christmas, New Year’s Eve.
What’s next for you?
Spencer keeps me in the dark. I have no idea.
Spencer Jones’ The Audition is on March 29-April 22 at the Arts Centre Melbourne.
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