Melbourne International Comedy Festival comedian Q&A: Patrick Collins, Mime Consultant

There’s no need to mime your appreciation when it comes to Patrick Collins’ latest show.

Patrick Collins Melbourne Comedy Festival 2019.

What can people expect from your show at this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival?

No one likes mimes.

Even less people like magicians.

I’m not going to change your mind about either of them, but we can definitely have some fun with them.

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This is a sketch show performed with mime and full sound effects and dialogue.

Whoever said mimes have to be silent?

Mimes, that’s who!

And who listens to them anyway?

There’s even some magic, songs and stand-up thrown in for good measure.

What have you been up to since last time you were here?

This is my third comedy festival and my fifth show.

Out of comedy fest season I’ve been performing in and hosting cabaret and burlesque shows around Melbourne including Melbourne Fringe Festival’s Le Grande Cabaret and Netflix & Chill Cabaret.

Who should see your show, and why?

If you’re not looking for a traditional stand-up show then this is your ticket.

Check it out if you’re into absurdist comedy, sketches or something different.

Or just if you’ve always wondered what a bisexual-comedian-magician-mime thinks about vaping.

What’s your No.1 tip for people coming to see a show at the comedy festival?

If you’re seeing a comic you’re aware of, stick around afterwards to see a show you might not know.

Some of the best shows in the festival are at the smaller venues, fuelled only by a craving for laughter and unsullied by the pleasures of fame and wealth.

That being said Felicity Ward is pretty amazing, maybe just play it safe and see her.

Which other comedians/shows are you keen to see at this year’s festival, and why?

Joe Lycett and James Acaster are both coming down from the UK and I’m pretty pumped just to be in the same continent as them.

As for local acts, Demi Lardner and Tom Walker are doing a show together, which is going to be nuts and I can’t wait.

What do you love about Melbourne?

Melbourne prides itself on having foods from every continent in the world despite the fact that the most Australian meal we provide is a pie from 7-Eleven or a sausage from Bunnings.

Who or what is your comedic inspiration, and why?

The British sketch show That Mitchell and Webb Look, Tim Minchin, Bill Bailey and because I dabble in sketch I’m required by law to mention Monty Python.

Anything else you want us to know about you or your show?

This show includes an unveiling of my never-before-seen-by-anyone-other-than-my-dad magic trick and a trick I’ve been doing drunkenly at parties for years and have never yet performed on stage.

Please come see it to convince my grandma that I have a real job.

PATRICK COLLINS, MIME CONSULTANT, APRIL 8-21, TASMA TERRAC 3, 6 PARLIAMENT PL. BOOK TICKETS