Herald Sun reviews Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2019 comedians and shows
Still weighing up who to see on the final weekend of the comedy festival? Check out what our reviewers thought of this year’s shows. READ ALL OUR COMEDY FESTIVAL REVIEWS.
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Our team of comedy experts hits the ground during the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, scoping out the shows from stars and newcomers alike.
This year we’ve reviewed an array of shows from homegrown comedians like Hannah Gadsby, Fiona O’Loughlin, Rhys Nicholson, Nick Cody, Tom Gleeson and Dave Hughes, to overseas stars such as Mark Watson, Chris Redd, Danny Bhoy, James Acaster and Ahir Shah.
MIKEY CAHILL: WHO’S FIRING AT THE COMEDY FESTIVAL
WHERE TO CATCH THE COMEDY FESTIVAL OUTSIDE THE CBD
MEET AUSTRALIA’S NEWEST STAND-UP STAR
See what our experts thought about your favourite comedian — or to find out which shows you should snap up tickets to in the final few days.
REVIEW SPOTLIGHT: HEADLINERS
When you have four big US comedy names in the one show — Chris Redd, Sam Jay, Samantha Ruddy and Langston Kerman — you expect big things. But one was clearly the star of this Headliners showcase. Read Jim Schembri’s review.
2019 MELBOURNE COMEDY FESTIVAL REVIEWS
AARON CHEN, P--- OFF JUST KIDDING
Rating: ★★★½
Reviewer: Patrick Horan
No one rides an awkward pause like Aaron Chen but everyone has a limit.
The former Best Newcomer winner and agent of chaos is playing it relatively straight this year but still can’t resist indulging in a lot of deliberately stilted crowd work, whose return on investment falls dramatically the longer the show goes on.
Thankfully, there is some top-notch material in between (a mid-air anecdote and Crazy Rich Asians pastiche are particularly inspired) and Chen is an exceptionally enjoyable hang, even when he’s dicing with disaster.
Aaron Chen, P--- Off (Just Kidding), until April 21, Melbourne Town Hall.
ABANDOMAN (AKA ROB BRODERICK), PIRATE RADIO
Rating: ★★★★
Reviewer: Patrick Horan
It’s not unusual to be impressed by a comic’s clever turn of phrase or physical interpretation of the story they’re telling.
It’s another thing entirely to witness a brain function in a way that seems utterly impossible.
Rob Broderick creates hip hop improv based on audience feedback and regularly astounds with multitrack thinking that riffs off just heard facts in astonishing ways.
An extremely likeable performer whose enthusiasm for the hip hop genre shines through, Broderick (flying solo this year) tackles different styles — including a superb autotuned love song — changing up the soundtrack with a gloriously gangsta portable mixer.
Audience participation is encouraged but never forced and it’s really no ordeal for those involved. An absolute marvel.
Abandoman (AKA Rob Broderick), Pirate Radio, until April 21, The Famous Spiegeltent.
AHIR SHAH
Rating: ★★★½
Reviewer: Patrick Horan
While most comics deliver their own introduction via a backstage mic, Ahir Shah bellows it from the side of the room.
It’s a forceful entrance that befits an uncommonly confident performer, especially one still in their 20s.
WHY AHIR SHAH IS DIALLING DOWN THE POLITICS
Shah is a Brit of Indian heritage and it’s on the topics of politics, religion and gentrification that Shah really shines, with some exceptionally smart takes and set-pieces.
When he focuses on family – and in particular bereavements that have taken a toll on him – Shah asks a lot of the audience as he veers away from comedy to tell personal stories that don’t always pass the relevance test.
As well put together as it is – a lyrics-related throughline is particularly impressive – an imbalanced hour makes for a qualified recommendation of this precocious talent.
Ahir Shah, Duffer, Mantra on Russell Mantra One & Melb Town Hall Powder Room, until April 21.
ANNE EDMONDS, WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU?
Rating: ★★★½
Reviewer: Jim Schembri
We’re only a few seconds in and Anne Edmonds already has her 300-strong audience on side as she lashes out with gleeful gusto against her favourite irritations.
Strutting the stage with snarky physicality and good-natured fury, Edmonds proves herself a ripper storyteller, framing the show with her formative encounter with Frank, a 4WD driver and devout road rager.
ANNE EDMONDS: ‘FEAR IS THE KEY TO COMEDY’
A self-loathing leftie and old-school feminist, Edmonds dabbles in some hot-button commentary about hypersensitive woke women, new-age mums, the phrase “you do you” and the fantasy of marriage.
All very funny, aided no end by the wonderful growl Edmonds possesses.
The clear highlight involves a businesswoman ordering waffles and the subsequent detailing of the four stages of choking, a topic Edmonds has clearly given plenty of thought.
There are some clumsy spots: her rant about new-wave feminism screams to be developed, as does her awkward Catholics v Muslims bit, the only real stumble in an otherwise sure-footed set.
Anne Edmonds, What’s Wrong With You? until 21 April, Melbourne Town Hall.
ARJ BARKER, WE NEED TO TALK
Rating: ★★★½
Reviewer: Michael Ward
There’s plenty of love in the room for this Festival stalwart whose show is mostly about the differences between the generations.
Barker’s gear is intelligent and literate, peppered with words you won’t hear from the mouths of meat ’n’ potato comics.
WHAT HAPPENED WHEN ARJ BARKER BANNED PHONES
But amid the philosophising there’s also plenty of Barker’s trademark absurd observational humour.
We Need To Talk’s second half offers some delightfully off-kilter material about marriage and a well-constructed bit about phone etiquette at home.
Barker is very watchable in a very funny show; it’s a pity, however, that he goes a little too hard on the merch plug at the hour’s end.
Arj Barker, We Need to Talk, April 9-21, Athenaeum Theatre.
BECKY LUCAS, ‘UM, SUPPORT ME?!’
Rating: ★★★½
Reviewer: Daniel Ziffer
Becky Lucas thrashes out the pain of living, for laughs.
With endearing intensity, the Brisbane-bred break-out star of recent years takes audiences through fights with self-esteem, family and smartphone addiction.
LUCAS COMES IN LIKE A WRECKING BALL
In a tight 45-minute burst there’s no time for a lull and Lucas keeps filling the space with tightlywound tales and delightfully snarky pay-offs.
A positive show about being relentlessly negative, the co-writer of TV shows such as The Other Guy and Please Like Me displays her talent for dissecting the contradictions of how we live.
If you’re not in her demographic it’s an astonishingly funny snapshot.
If you are, it’s so real you might break a rib.
Becky Lucas, Um, Support Me?!, until April 21, Swiss Club.
BLAKE FREEMAN, THERE’S SOMETHING THERE
Rating: ★★★★½
Reviewer: Mikey Cahill
In the words of Jack Nicholson’s The Joker: “Ohh! I got a live one here!”
Blake Freeman is a mere 23 years old, in his words: “Not old enough to really know anything about life.”
That’s one of the most worldly things you’ll hear anyone his age say on stage.
This guy is live and direct and has the easy, candid demeanour of a man born to be a comedian.
Freeman escaped the clutches — spiritually and intellectually — of a crumby suburban upbringing with a racist dad, ticket inspector fighting stepmum (“Oh it’s on!) daft sister and sketchy brother.
They all make for fine fodder in this graceful, laugh-heavy 55-minute effort.
Freeman glides through tales of sexual misadventure, food snobbery and his mum’s succinct text messages.
He has a message, too, in a post-Nanette world: “I’ve gotta be better.”
Go see Blake live.
Blake Freeman, There’s Something There, until April 21, Victoria Hotel.
BOB FRANKLIN, SIR ROBERT’S HISTORY OF HORROR
Rating: ★★★½
Reviewer: Michael Ward
Bob Franklin has long been interested in the comic ground shared by comedy and horror.
Last year his obsidian-black Yours Sincerely was a bleakly funny (and much talked about) portrayal of obsession; this year’s potted horror history is, by contrast, a barrel of laughs.
Franklin plays his occasional alter ego Sir Robert, a pipe-smoking, cravat-wearing horror buff ostensibly on hand to give a lecture.
However this conceit is entwined in a narrative back story that unspools like one of Franklin’s unnerving short stories.
James Hazelden’s cello provides suitably spooky atmospherics, while Franklin’s punchlines are not so different to jump scares, underlining the sibling closeness of the funny and the frightening.
Bob Franklin, Sir Robert’s History of Horror, until April 21, Melbourne Town Hall.
CAL WILSON, GIFTED UNDERACHIEVER
Rating: ★★★
Reviewer: Jim Schembri
If one thing comes across loud and clear amid the lapping waves of mid-range laughter in this pleasing, finely honed set it’s that Cal Wilson has found her groove, and she’s sticking to it.
Barely moving from her spot, Wilson’s observational rattle roused a steady flow of titters from the packed venue, her biggest laughs coming from the few times she dared deviate from her thoroughly rehearsed routine.
Covering a range of unremarkable topics — supermarket rage; unwanted hugging; smart-aleck children; dealing with the lower rungs of fame; the woes of middle-age — Wilson’s set is satisfying, if unsurprising and could do with more cadence.
As it is, her super-slick, rat-a-tat delivery sounds as though it had been timed to a metronome that’d been set half a beat too fast.
Cal Wilson, Gifted Underachiever, until 21 April, Victoria Hotel.
CASSIE WORKMAN, GIANTESS
Rating: ★★★★★
Reviewer: Patrick Horan
The recently transitioned Cassie Workman offers a poignant, poetic, deeply personal insight into the transgender experience that also manages to leave zero doubt that this is a comedy show.
Workman seamlessly weaves knowing wit and excellent routines into her story of coming to terms with gender identity courtesy of an uncommonly beautiful script and minimalist but devastatingly effective music, illustrations and set design.
CASSIE WORKMAN REVEALS DEEPLY PERSONAL TRANSITION IN GIANTESS
Offering some deconstruction of the art form itself (not a new area for Workman) will invite some Hannah Gadsby comparisons but this is its own jewel entirely.
The gut punch is gentler but you’ll feel it all the same. Giantess is a colossal achievement.
Cassie Workman, Giantess, until April 21, Melbourne Town Hall.
DAMIEN POWER, MAN PUTS HIS DREAMS IN A SOCK
Rating: ★★★★½
Reviewer: Patrick Horan
Follow your dreams, what does that even mean?
Damien Power — a self-described “comedian on the cusp” — is here to interrogate the question via a show that doubles as an alleged bid to achieve mainstream success.
Dressed in a snazzy purple suit and armed with relatable gear about trams and cafes, Power inevitably fails in his nominal effort to be the next Hughesy and cannot avoid a philosophical self-wrestle about what ambition really means and how fulfilment does not come cheaply, using his family (particularly brother and world champion Indycar driver Will) as fascinating case studies.
The irony is that Power actually has those mainstream chops, making this hour funnier than anything with this much to say about modern society and the human condition has any right to be.
It may cost him a career on the panel show circuit, but Power’s stubbornly intellectual ambition really is something to be treasured. Truly remarkable.
Damien Power, Man Puts His Dreams In A Sock, until April 21, Melbourne Town Hall.
DANIEL KITSON, KEEP
Rating: ★★★★½
Reviewer: Patrick Horan
Notorious for not wanting anyone but the fully committed in his audience, this year’s offering from Daniel Kitson starts with his most aggressive ultimatum yet: we’re warned that he’s about to read out a list of the hundreds of items that are in his house.
For almost two hours.
If you don’t like the sound of that, there’s the door.
A few attendees leave to claim a refund.
Those who don’t are mercifully not subjected to what was promised/threatened.
Instead they experience a show that unfolds as an elaborate puzzle that muses on the power of regret and the folly of believing your life only belongs to you.
A dizzying degree of technical difficulty is pulled off with aplomb.
Oh, and it’s incessantly funny. Please don’t leave.
Daniel Kitson, Keep, until April 21, The Coopers Malthouse.
DANIEL SLOSS, X
Rating: ★★½
Reviewer: Mikey Cahill
Daniel Sloss is a big deal. A huge deal, in fact.
His Netflix specials, Dark and Jigsaw, have seen the noir-nuzzling Scottish comedian go global.
Interestingly, he’s been splitting up couples who watched his stand-up set, Jigsaw.
His Twitter handle reads: “My break up tally: Break ups = 31,000+; Cancelled engagements = 78; Divorces = 85.”
This is a good thing, people shouldn’t be together if it’s causing more grief than joy. We only get one life and all that.
Sloss’ show this year, X, tackles themes of conversational faux pas, bullying and trying to make sense of how men and women and all the non-binary genders in between function now the #metoo movement has moved the needle.
I can’t reveal what happens in the last third of the show, suffice to say it’s shocking and real and savagely funny (shout out to 2 Unlimited) and will have ramifications for what stand-up is saying and doing as a craft.
It’s very much a post-Nanette show in the “wokest” year of the comedy festival.
Loads of people are seeing this show and having challenging conversations afterwards at the pub and in the car on the way home (“did you just turn the heating on?” as they shift uneasily in their seats).
The writing is very good, the structure is spot on …there’s a problem though: Daniel. He lacks comedic grace, genuine warmth and even a skerrick of likeability. Let’s leave it at that.
Daniel Sloss, X, until April 21, The Forum.
DANIELLE WALKER, MYTHS AND LEGENDS
Rating: ★★★
Reviewer: Kate Rose
Sometimes there’s nothing better than a night out with your best mate from the country, who’s hitting the big smoke for the weekend with a big heart and bigger laugh.
Danielle Walker is pretty much that best mate.
DARK HUMOUR PRINCESS DANIELLE WALKER TALKS MYTHS
She’s a relative newcomer to the comedy scene, but what her show lacks in polish she makes up for with charm and enthusiasm.
The material swings from sweet to the slightly surreal, via pelicans, piñatas and problem solving.
It’s occasionally patchy, but there are still some big laughs to be had.
Walker isn’t a major headliner yet, but she’s endearing enough to be one to watch.
Danielle Walker, Myths and Legends, until April 21, Acacia Room at the Victoria Hotel.
DANNY BHOY, AGE OF FOOLS
Rating: ★★★★½
Reviewer: Neala Johnson
Danny Bhoy is worried. He’s worried about climate change. He’s worried about our taste in world leaders. He’s worried about Brexit. He’s worried about Scottish wine (the fact it’s even a thing is of concern).
That’s why, in his latest Melbourne comedy festival show (he hasn’t been here for “three prime ministers”), the Scottish comedian has chosen to do something different — setting aside his observational style to present a topical show.
History, Bhoy believes, will judge this time very poorly — hence the title, Age of Fools.
Bhoy still keeps the feel loose and personal as he takes the scenic route through the world’s woes, like it could all go off-map at any moment. The fun really is in the journey.
Danny Bhoy, Age of Fools, until April 17, Athanaeum Theatre.
DAVE HUGHES, HAIRY
Rating: ★★★½
Reviewer: Jim Schembri
The everyman humour of Dave Hughes is sweet relief from a world of woe, gushing forth in a good-natured flow of exasperated anecdotes sprinkled with swear words and laced with love — for his wife, his kids, his pets and his people.
READ OUR FULL REVIEW OF DAVE HUGHES
POLICE CALLED TO HUGHESY’S COMEDY SHOW
HOW HUGHESY KNEW HIS DRUG DAYS WERE OVER
Uproarious laughter fills the packed venue as Hughes grinningly gripes about the recent vegan protest, the Metro tunnel, traffic, MAFS, his hair, dodgy massage parlours and the difficulty of trying to get romantic with his wife in a house full of restless kids.
Pausing only briefly to let the laughter settle down — it often swells to that pitch — Hughes never allows the momentum flag.
After so long on stage and TV, the connection Hughes now shares with his audience is almost purely Pavlovian.
It’s comedy law: if Hughesy says it — with that distinctive bogan drawl of his — it’s funny.
Dave Hughes, Hairy, until 21 April, Lower Melbourne Town Hall.
DAVE THORNTON, LEAN INTO IT
Rating: ★★★½
Reviewer: Michael Ward
Dave Thornton’s solid stand-up is an easy watch: relatable material, seamless segues, well-told anecdotes, a relaxed stage presence.
Sure, you’ve probably heard variations on these themes a dozen times over: parenting (Thornton is a father of two young daughters), inner-city (Brunswick) hipster culture, perhaps a dash of topicality (sexual equality in the workplace).
DAVE THORNTON’S BIZARRE BILLIONAIRE BIRTHDAY GIG
There are some funny voices and a war story or two (Thornton has a great bit about a gig for a wealthy American’s birthday party).
In essence, there’s nothing here to knock any socks off, but this well-crafted show delivers plenty of laughs.
Dave Thornton, Lean Into It, until April 21, Max Watts; Fridays at Melbourne Town Hall.
DEANNE SMITH, EPIPHANY
Reviewer: Mikey Cahill
Rating: ★★★★½
DeAnne Smith has been racking up good will with Melbourne audiences since her debut, Barry Award nominated show in 2011.
She enjoys making rack references throughout this show, which has a nicely weighted body-positive message for all the ladies.
The self-described “little tropical fun elf” has her synapses firing like jet engines this year, shifting from zinger to singer and back again.
The Canadian-American’s crowd work went over extraordinarily well when she conducted the audience doing animal noises including “my brother’s cat”.
She talked us through a dogumentary (my portmanteau, feel free to steal it, D), a dinner party with a famous moustachioed astronaut and made a gritty observation about why comedians are like psychopaths.
You’d be a boob to miss her.
DeAnne Smith, Epiphany, until April 21, Mantra on Russell.
DEMI LARDNER: DITCH WITCH 800
Rating: ★★★★
Reviewer: Jim Schembri
The challenge facing those who witness the dizzying, laugh-out-loud comedy feed of Demi Lardner is to keep up.
With a mischievous unpredictability reminiscent of Spike Milligan, Lardner’s bizarre, manic one-woman sketch show is a blast of super-clever silliness.
Blessed with slick production — there’s music, voice-overs, slides, video — the compact 43-minute show crackles with instant impressions, absurdist asides, surreal comic imagery, split-second mood shifts and craze-tinged stories about her alleged childhood.
An inspired lunacy drives a host of great one-liners and curt social satires that sparkle with wit and the odd flash of brilliance.
Subversive, unorthodox and sure-footed, Lardner’s constant comedic shape-shifting also proves what a damned good actor she is.
She is now in full-on pay-off mode. Rejoice.
Demi Lardner, Ditch Witch 800, until 21 April, Greek Centre.
DILRUK JAYASINHA, CHEAT DAY(S)
Rating: ★★★½
Reviewer: Stephanie Glickman
Now that he’s lost a whopping 35kg, Dilruk Jayasinha worries his comedy may suffer, given how much of his material relates to fried chicken and his love of the Aussie pub.
Cheat Day(s) is another solid show from the Sri Lankan-born, Melbourne-based performer who has been rapidly climbing his way up the comedy ladder.
HOW LOSING WEIGHT CHANGED DILRUK’S JOKES
Without bombarding us with too much diet talk, material jogs through Lululemon apparel, fun runs, Apple watches and of course, food. Salad, is apparently a gateway drug to kebab, once you start adding dressing, croutons and bacon.
Jayasinha uses his unusual religious upbringing to explain why he got so large in the first place, unpacks how therapy helps change habits and laments the ugly sides of extreme weight loss.
But given his history, even Jayasinha doesn’t know how long all the skinny is going to last … you’ll have to catch him in his 2020 show to find out.
Dilruk Jayasinha, Cheat Day(s), until April 21, Victoria Hotel, Banquet Room.
DOUBLE DENIM, A VERY FANCY DINNER PARTY
Rating: ★★★★½
Reviewer: Mikey Cahill
Some nights, everything goes right for a stand-up comedy duo.
The best friends from Melbourne, Double Denim, had one of those shows last week.
Michelle Brasier is like a deranged Catherine Tate character who has bussed in from Gisborne, while her off-sider Laura Frew (also starring in Fringe Wives Club) holds the room with tales of Trent and his dad, Andrew G and James Mathison.
There’s a whizzing sense of fun and chaos — it’s one of the only shows this year without a dull spot.
Brasier in particular modulates her voice to great effect, pushing the laws of LOLs like Aunty Donna do.
Last year’s winners of the Director’s Choice Award are just getting started, catch them in a 60-seater while you still can babe.
Double Denim, A Very Fancy Dinner Party, The Victoria Hotel, until April 21.
ED NIGHT, AN AESTHETIC
Rating: ★★★★
Reviewer: Ian Royall
Chuckle lovers knew they were in for a seat-squirming hour when Ed Night equated the indelicacies of first-date sex to the logistics of using public transport in a new city.
(Wait till he hears about myki’s “touch on, touch off” mantra.)
From there, things got weirder. And shadier. And funnier. And thought-provoking.
Night’s An Aesthetic debuted at the Edinburgh Fringe and, a hundred-odd shows later, has bedded down into a solid performance.
His awkward pauses are perfectly well, um, awkward.
This is very much a show of our times, tackling the #metoo movement, social change and some very inconvenient truths.
This 21st century boy manages to charm and shock at the same time thanks to his cheeky, yet sonorous, Sarf London voice.
From Irish Catholic stock, Night rages against the church machine, and then rounds on celebrity paedophiles, daring to name some you may not be aware of. Eek! (As Tex once growled, better get a lawyer, son.)
An Aesthetic is topical in content, acerbic in delivery. Enjoy. But not if you’re easily offended.
Ed Night, An Aesthetic, until April 21, ACMI Studio.
ELEANOR TIERNAN, SUCCESS WITHOUT A SEX TAPE
Rating: ★★★
Reviewer: Patrick Horan
There’s no doubting the uniqueness of Ireland’s Eleanor Tiernan’s droll approach but comparisons to compatriot David O’Doherty are not without merit.
An overthinker who masks some mildly dark diversions with twinkling wit, deadpan delivery and the best colloquialisms Ireland has to offer may sound familiar, and Tiernan’s best material is similarly top-tier.
A strong start to this show fades though as a (hardly topical) sex tape theme feels more and more forced and routines — particularly a financial course detour — struggle to earn their keep.
Still, there’s a lot to enjoy and we’re putting a low-key performance down to some early-run jet lag, this will surely improve.
Eleanor Tiernan, Success Without A Sex Tape, until April 21, ACMI.
FERN BRADY, POWER AND CHAOS
Rating: ★★★★
Reviewer: Patrick Horan
The house was almost full but the front row was empty. Strange.
Fern Brady may be a no-nonsense Scot with a history of mental illness but there is very little to fear from this charming performer and her unique, mildly off-kilter style.
FERN BRADY: ‘AUSSIES HATE IT IF YOU CRITICISE THE CATHOLIC CHURCH’
Probably not one to bring the grandparents too — unless they particularly enjoy material about porn, oral sex and bisexuality — but Brady is no shock comic, all topics earning their keep via well-constructed bits and memorable descriptors.
Proceedings flagged a wee bit before the finish with what appeared to be some road testing of new material but a thoroughly enjoyable hour that deserves to fill every seat.
Fern Brady, Power and Chaos, until April 21, ACMI.
FIONA O’LOUGHLIN, ADDRESSES THE NATION
Rating: ★★★½
Reviewer: Jim Schembri
There was a fear, not too long ago, that Fiona O’Loughlin’s unrelenting self-flagellation about her demons was going to push her from being a comedian with a drinking problem to an alcoholic who tells jokes.
Thankfully, her sparkling new show signals a renewal of purpose and outlook.
FIONA O’LOUGHLIN MOVES ON FROM PERSONAL DEMONS
Decoupling from that baggage (mostly, anyway), optimism now reigns as she contrasts the habits and achievements of the Baby Boomer generation with those on either side.
There’s no room for rainbows or unicorns, of course — she’s seen way too much for that — yet you can feel the upgraded intimacy O’Loughlin now shares with her fellow Boomers as she notes the strides they’ve made regarding issues such as race and tolerance.
Supremely relaxed, she lands her one-liners with seasoned precision, even when veering into off-topic anecdotes that could easily give way to more musings about the shrinking generation gap and the growing overlap.
Fiona O’Loughlin Addresses the Nation, until April 7, Athenaeum Theatre.
GERALDINE HICKEY, THINGS ARE GOING WELL
Rating: ★★★★
Reviewer: Patrick Horan
It’s a bold gambit in today’s anxiety-riddled stand-up landscape to talk how much you’re enjoying your life, but if anyone can get away with it the eminently likeable Geraldine Hickey surely can, and absolutely does.
It’s impossible to resist Hickey’s infectious childlike enthusiasm for trips to wildlife and theme parks but amid the frivolity there’s some fantastically sharp lines about Hickey’s new-found bourgeois concerns and a sneaky appeal to our better selves to have a sense of perspective and appreciate the good things we have, even if disaster can sometimes seem imminent.
On the evidence of this wonderfully sweet show that features some outstanding material (unlikely Christmas presents and an airport security routine are particular highlights), things are going superbly.
Geraldine Hickey, Things Are Going Well, until April 21. Imperial Hotel.
HANNAH GADSBY, DOUGLAS
Rating: ★★★★½
Reviewer: Anna Brain
A “different thinker”, Hannah Gadsby takes us deep into the “thought orgies” of her weird and wonderful mind — and her autism diagnosis — in her new show, Douglas.
The show is littered with insights, devastatingly simple observations (“EVERYTHING has been named by men”), life advice (“don’t go on a diet, get a tailor”) and humbling moments.
Douglas follows Nanette, the comedy show that shot Gadsby to international fame.
OUR FULL REVIEW OF THE WORLD DEBUT OF HANNAH GADSBY’S DOUGLAS
Thankfully she didn’t follow through on that show’s promise that she would quit comedy.
Instead she talks about how it changed her life, by making her a “powerful person with a big platform” — which she is now making the most of.
Hannah Gadsby, Douglas, until April 7, Hamer Hall.
HEADLINERS (US)
Rating: ★★★
Reviewer: Jim Schembri
It took a few anxious minutes for the room of 200 to warm to Langston Kerman, the first of a quartet of American stand-ups eager to connect to a new crowd.
After a muted reception to bits about marriage and the daggy Christmas cards they entail, he broke through with a clever string of woke cliches designed to win over his wife.
Kidult Samantha Ruddy provided strong follow-through with her takes on franchise food, her quarter-life crisis and horror movies while big-name closer Chris Redd did some playful bits with our politics, noting how we’ve got bigger problems with our prime ministers than we do with our meth heads.
But it was boisterous firebrand Sam Jay who owned the night. Sass to the max, Jay killed, slamming our beloved aquarium, lambasting her girlfriend and griping about her misadventures with straight sex. It was a real jewel of a routine.
Headliners, Max Watt’s, until April 21.
JACK GRAMENZ, IS TRYING TO WIN BEST NEWCOMER
Rating: ★★★½
Reviewer: Mikey Cahill
Jack Gramenz has a smile wider than a 10-gallon hat — pretty remarkable considering he’s $20,000 in the red from doing stand-up.
He quit a paid gig with radio dropkick Ray Hadley and after a stint as a Comedy Zone participant last year he’s taken the plunge.
READ OUR Q&A WITH JACK GRAMENZ
Gramenz “goes in” on The World’s Most liveable City and does some Melbourne bashing; a nice antidote to sucky Instagram culture and visiting comedians’ tendency to lavish praise on our city.
A child of meme-culture (the good kind, not 8chan), Gramenz rinses the “We used to laugh at comedians and listen to politicians” line, flips it and reverses it.
He would do well to lean into the humour of the bit instead of assuming the crowd is familiar with the subverted creed.
The big grinner with the cutlass tongue does some fine gear on chiropractors, Young Liberals and Young Labor party members and has the best fringe analogy of the festival.
Jack Gramenz, Is Trying To Win Best Newcomer, until April 21, Greek Centre.
JACK TUCKER, COMEDY STAND-UP HOUR
Rating:★★★★
Reviewer: Jim Schembri
Clutch on to your diaphragm for an hour of killer character comedy as old-school New York stand-up act Jack Tucker (Zach Zucker) regales you with a blisteringly cascade of verbal and physical gags, during which much liquid is spilled, many condoms thrown and several apples destroyed.
The heavily accented Tucker is all sass, bluster and confidence as he thunders through a semi-freeform routine that messes so masterfully with timing, pacing, audience participation and recurring gags you literally don’t know what goofery he’s going to blast you with next.
The audience of about 55 was in absolute stitches and awarded Tucker (that is, Zucker) a well-deserved standing ovation for a relentless act that is totally off the wall.
Jack Tucker, Comedy Standup Hour, Fridays and Saturdays, until April 21, ACMI
JAMES ACASTER, COLD LASAGNE HATE MYSELF 1999
Rating: ★★★★★
Reviewer: Patrick Horan
If you’ve seen James Acaster before and have enjoyed his elite geek stylings and quirky storytelling, prepare for a rude shock.
Acaster 2019 is wearing don’t-f----with-me sunglasses and what appear to be highly flammable fibres, strutting about the stage like the child of a soccer hooligan and a slightly pained peacock.
It’s a glorious metamorphosis, and the transformation is not without its underlying trauma.
After an unforgettable relationship-based routine that we will not spoil here, Acaster tells the tale of an awful year while maintaining a seemingly impossible level of energy in the room, twisting narrative devices to his own impeccable ends and providing a masterclass in how to tell a difficult personal story through comedy while so many others at this festival wrestle clumsily with their demons.
As tonal tightrope walks go, this is the equivalent of someone cartwheeling above the Niagara Falls. Makes 70 minutes feel like 17 in the best possible way.
If you’re able to get a ticket, you’re in for something truly special.
James Acaster, Cold Lasagne Hate Myself 1999, until April 21, ACMI and Town Hall.
JOEL CREASEY, DRINK SLAY REPEAT
Rating: ★★★★½
Reviewier: Ian Royall
He’s known as the clown prince of Australian comedy, the campest comic in the village, but really he’s just a naughty boy.
Drink Slay Repeat is Joel Creasey’s 10th show at the festival and, fortified by a colourful multimedia career, he has evolved into a genuine master of the art.
READ OUR FULL JOEL CREASEY REVIEW
Who needs deep and meaningful, as Creasey shamelessly harvests vignettes from his (mis)adventures from the past year – from Eurovision to Mardi Gras to his Nan’s funeral, it’s a riot.
Not sure his supermodel boyfriend Jack will be happy with their personal life being laid bare but hey, nothing is off limits.
Creasey’s account of meeting Meghan Markle at Government House last year is worth the admission price alone.
This is one genuinely likeable stand-up pro.
Joel Creasey, Drink Slay Repeat, until April 21, The Forum Upstairs.
JOSH GLANC, GLANCE YOU FOR HAVING ME
Rating: ★★★
Reviewier: Jim Schembri
Resplendent in his Saturday Night Fever outfit and free of any need for segues, Josh Glanc delivers his high-energy, random-access meta-comedy with lounge-singer slickness.
He regales with silly skits and bursts of song before gradually settling into his unsettling, very funny tribute to his loving mother.
As a good 30-year-old, bacon-loving Jewish boy, Glanc is wrestling with the need to finally cut the cord, channelling his maternal anxieties through a series of often hilarious anecdotes, the best being a priceless episode regarding his appendix.
Smart enough to make clever jokes about jokes, Glanc also goes low-brow, boisterously unafraid to push his love of bad taste.
This can exact a high price, being the sudden evaporation of wit. He knows the risk, keeping the crowd on side by confessing how reactions to certain bits vary greatly from show to show.
Clearly, he lucked out on the night.
Josh Glanc, Glanc You For Having Me, until April 21, Melbourne Town Hall — Backstage Room.
JUDITH LUCY, Judith Lucy Vs Men
Rating: ★★★★
Reviewer: Michael Ward
Lucy’s latest show is typically self-analysing and self-deprecating: a potted history of the blokes she’s encountered in her life.
At the end, we’re asked to judge whether she should simply give up dating.
Lucy knows how to wring maximum laughs from every well-honed line, and the heavy stream of gags is delivered perfectly in her supremely droll tone.
JUDITH LUCY TAKES ON ALL THE MEN SHE’S LOVED AND LOST
Such candour, while eliciting the occasional gasp, grabs loads of laughs.
The soul-searching ends after the audience jury hands down its decision, but there’s a very bold coda to come.
Suffice to say the show ends more bravely — and for some, confrontingly — than any she’s done in 30-odd years.
Gutsy and gut-bustlingly funny, right to the end.
Judith Lucy, Judith Lucy Vs Men, until April 14, Arts Centre.
JUSTIN HAMILTON, THE BALLAD OF JOHN TILT ANIMUS (PART I)
Rating: ★★★★½
Reviewer: Kate Rose
Justin Hamilton’s alter-ego, John Tilt Animus, is stuck in a postmodern nightmare but his pain is the audience’s pleasure.
This self-referential, quasi-autobiographical and resoundingly rapid-fire award-winning show is a masterpiece of modern angst.
WHY JUSTIN HAMILTON IS DOING A THREE-PART COMEDY SHOW
Part stand-up, part pathos-imbued narrative, this is part one of a three-part show that sees our pigeon-loving protagonist wrestling with the absolutism of everyday life.
Animus is surrounded by opinions, social media feeds and unsympathetic talk-show hosts, which make navigating life alone slightly more brutal than it needs to be. Undeterred, he tries to remain true to himself despite all the opposition.
Hamilton has taken existential angst and turned it into comedy gold, while still keeping a large heart beating at the centre of a show that is for Jung and old alike.
Justin Hamilton, The Ballad of John Tilt Animus, until April 16, The Toff in Town.
KANAN GILL: TEETAR
Rating: ★★★
Reviewer: Jim Schembri
For his much-anticipated Melbourne debut, Indian hotshot and online sensation Kanan Gill charmed a packed house of about 300 adoring fans — “the entire Indian population of Melbourne” — with a breezy, steadily paced, mathematically consistent set.
HOW YOUTUBE MADE KANAN GILL A GLOBAL STAR
Affable, but not eager to go too far off-script, he gagged about Melbourne’s love of coffee (apparently mandatory for all visiting acts) before launching into “quality dumb jokes” about marching, medical anxieties and hernias.
From these ultra-lite, often overlong bits, Gill did dabble with more sophisticated musings about Julius Caesar, the birth of the metaphor, India’s over-population, Sanskrit and even suicide, a surprisingly edgy and polished piece that some might find crass.
Clearly unafraid to test boundaries, he hit a huge raw nerve with a reference to India’s issues over religious tolerance. It drew an instant, collective “ooooh” from the throng. A golden moment.
Gill could dial down the cultural esoterica a tad, but if his intention was to connect with the Melbourne chapter of his international fanbase he did so with ease on the first try.
Kanan Gill, Teetar, Pavillion, Arts Centre, until April 21.
LAWRENCE MONEY, LOOSE CHANGE
Rating: ★★★
Reviewer: Daniel Ziffer
Stop. You’re probably thinking of experienced comedian Lawrence Mooney — radio host, Malcolm Turnbull impressions, two “O”s.
Money is the long-time newspaper columnist hitting the stage for the first time.
VETERAN COLUMNIST LAWRENCE MONEY M AKES COMEDY DEBUT
His debut show is old-school comedy, with stories, jokes and top-level name-dropping.
Money’s the first to tell you about his half a century in the game as he mines the hilarious indignities of age and takes on political correctness, the #MeToo movement and questions of identity.
In a grim part of town, up stairs above a kebab shop, the venue is an unpolished diamond of the Gold Rush era. Money isn’t that old, but he’s worth checking out too.
Lawrence Money, Loose Change, until April 20, Speakeasy HQ.
LUKE HEGGIE, HAVE THAT
Rating: ★★★★½
Reviewer: Patrick Horan
You know what to expect from Luke Heggie: a relentless stream of droll despair delivered with wondrously elaborate but economical detail, a style you will not find anywhere else at this festival.
The master of misanthropy floats like a butterfly, jabbing a range of potentially hack targets – cool dads, bogan gearheads, hipster cafes, pet owners, social media influencers among them – with lightning fists, occasionally delivering a gut punch that will leave you gasping.
Drift for a few seconds and you’ll miss a hyper-specific mental image or impeccably evocative description that you barely have time to splutter at before the next upper cut is delivered with exquisite precision.
This is Heggie’s most consistently ruthless hour yet. Genuinely peerless. Have it.
Luke Heggie, Have That, until April 21, European Bier Cafe and Melbourne Town Hall.
MARIA BAMFORD, THE IRRELEVANT REDUNDANCY
Rating: ★★★★
Reviewer: Patrick Horan
You’d be hard pressed to find a more rousing reception for anyone at this year’s festival as Maria Bamford gets as she walks on to The Forum stage, an enormous amount of love in the room for a globally renowned act who hasn’t graced us with her presence since 2011.
She proves fully deserving of the reception, spinning personal yarns about family, relationships and her own career with typically technicolour threads.
HOW MARIA BAMFORD GOT HER LIFE BACK ON TRACK
A superb script and relish for steering characters into unexpected places leads to many hilarious, and occasionally transcendent, moments.
We can’t say it’s the most consistent show you’ll see at this festival – perhaps a lot to ask of someone on as many meds as Bamford is, a fact she cheerily admits to – but there’s more than enough to enjoy in a joyously off-kilter hour.
Maria Bamford, The Irrelevant Redundancy, until April 13, The Forum.
MARK WATSON, THE INFINITE SHOW
Rating: ★★★★
Reviewer: Stephanie Glickman
Since he visited the Melbourne comedy festival last year, UK comic Mark Watson has suffered through a divorce, been named one of the 50 sexiest Jews on Twitter (though he’s not Jewish) and become even more worried about the state of human communication.
Wanting to know more about his crowd, he polls for personal details on index cards he riffs off throughout the show. At this show, he bantered with both a boisterous stag party and a visually impaired punter and her nonchalant guide dog.
He talks fast, digresses, checks his time regularly and admits that his previous show was shambolic. In lesser hands, this rambling would bomb, but Watson works it into great material, somehow bringing it all together and staying connected to his audience.
He’s bemused by Aussie ways, admits major parenting fails and has an inferiority complex to mind readers. In crumpled jeans, old high-top sneakers and thick glasses, Watson’s persona is anxious and fast-talking, but to create that scattiness takes highly-skilled craft.
Mark Watson, The Infinite Show, until April 21, Supper Room, Melbourne Town Hall.
MICHELLE LAW, SINGLE ASIAN FEMALE
Rating: ★★★
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Michelle Law’s comedy-drama sees Pearl (Hsiao-Ling Tang), over-protective matriarch of the Wong family, struggling to keep her Chinese restaurant afloat, while wrangling her Australian-born daughters, Zoe (Jing-Xuan Chan) and Mei (Courtney Stewart).
Littered among the many laughs are more telling moments concerning racism, sexism and bullying, as well as internal issues arising in Asian-Australian families.
The play is most successful when it stops playing stereotypes — both Asian and Aussie bogan.
This happens in the final 20 minutes, which is a bit late.
The characters are underdeveloped and the problem is early scenes often reference the Australia of 40 years ago.
Single Asian Female may be no masterpiece, but it is identification theatre that allows Asian-Australians to laugh at themselves.
Michelle Law, Single Asian Female, until April 21, Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne.
MICHELLE WOLF
Rating: ★★★★★
Reviewer: Mikey Cahill
Michelle Wolf struts on to stage and immediately tells us about a butt-splinter she’s having problems removing.
The material is as fresh as the tiny piece of wood jammed in her heinie.
For a brisk hour she takes us on a wild and woolly ride through themes of consent, bad blogs, lesbianism, blackface, ISIS “having a craft guy” and breast milk bravado.
Whenever Wolf knows the room is about to get uncomfortable the 33-year-old American tells us to “loosen up your buttholes”.
No one and nothing is safe, Amazon’s virtual assistant gets shut down, giraffe mothers cop it for not having the decency to make their child’s birth at all pleasant and she lampoons women who aggressively out-compliment each other.
MICHELLE WOLF BRINGS CUTTING COMEDY TO MELBOURNE
It’s all glorious, high-energy gear, she leans forward with that wicked, wide smile to really make her point as the crowd rocks back and forth in their seats. We’re all in on it.
She of course touches on the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and how much she enjoyed — yes, enjoyed — the backlash afterwards.
Her detractors call her vulgar, which she absolutely relishes.
The whole hour we have no idea what she’s gonna say next. To borrow from Pantera’s great album title, this is a vulgar display of power.
Michelle Wolf, until Sunday, March 31, Max Watt’s.
MR SNOT BOTTOM’S HORRIBLE, TERRIBLE, REALLY, REALLY BAD, BAD SHOW
Rating:★★★
Reviewer: Jim Schembri
Question: What’s worse than picking your nose or loving dog poo?
Answer: Being a Trump supporter.
For reasons best known to himself, Mr Snot Bottom felt compelled to awkwardly shoehorn that jarring joke into an otherwise slick panto rife with prop comedy and emissions-based humour.
Reluctantly assisted by his increasingly furious production supervisor, the gangly Snot Bottom had his solid crowd of about 250 kids cheering, screaming and heckling by mixing the mandatory slew of fart, poo, snot, vomit and stink jokes with some expert audience participation.
There were silly songs, clever movie references and lots of gross-out physical comedy, the best of which involved Snot Bottom merrily tossing dog poo into the crowd.
What a lovely sight.
Mr Snot Bottom’s Horrible, Terrible, Really, Really, Bad, Bad Show, until 21 April, Lower Town Hall.
NATH VALVO, I’M HAPPY FOR YOU
Rating: ★★★★½
Reviewer: Patrick Horan
Nath Valvo has been one of the best-value festival bets for some time, and this year’s offering feels like a breakout to the big leagues.
In front of a packed house, Valvo makes full use of the Supper Room stage, enhancing brilliantly honed observational material and delivering iron-fist punchlines that leave us reeling.
Fans know to expect a physical performance and some family-related material, but both elements are used far more judiciously than in previous years when they sometimes dominated to the point of distraction.
I’m Happy For You is the best translation of his inimitable talents yet, a sensationally entertaining hour from a comic at the peak of their powers. Delighted for him.
Nath Valvo, I’m Happy For You, until April 21, Melbourne Town Hall.
NAZEEM HUSSAIN, BASIC IDIOT
Rating: ★★★★
Reviewer: Daniel Ziffer
In his own words, Hussain is a “celebrity TV Muslim” you’d struggle to miss.
You may have seen his Channel 7 sketch show, Orange Is The New Brown, his Netflix special or even him eating offal on I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here!
If you haven’t, you’re in for an even bigger treat.
TV SPECIAL PUTS NAZEEM ON THE WORLD MAP
This wonderful new hour from the nation’s favourite Sri Lankan-Australian comedian — sorry Dilruk Jayasinha — takes in his role as a new dad, family and tougher material.
Even viewed in a preview, with tightening up and polish to come, this is a delight.
It’s a measure of Hussain’s talent that weeks from a terror attack in Christchurch, and just a block from one on Bourke Street, he skilfully milks relaxed laughter from the grim situations.
Nazeem Hussain, Basic Idiot, until April 21, Lower Town Hall, Melbourne Town Hall.
NICK CODY, OLD MATE
Rating: ★★★★
Reviewer: Daniel Ziffer
The pride of Hoppers Crossing delivers again, with a cocksure hour of solid laughs.
Like the radio station he works for, (Triple M) this is male-skewed, consistent and extremely popular.
You’ll see Cody bob up on TV as a panellist or representing a beer brand, wearing a broad, bearded “she’ll be right” smile and a gag.
NICK CODY LAYS INTO ‘SOFT’ PARENTS
But these aren’t cheap laughs. Cody weaves a masterful tapestry of work across this hour of new material, delicately moving across topics and tones, building a brilliant show as he goes.
Hit after hit, Cody keeps rolling on.
His winning charm is the icing on top of the cake.
A dislike of swearing — there’s a bit — is one of the few things that could knock you out of enjoying Nick Cody’s show. For everyone else, pile in.
Nick Cody, Old Mate, until April 21, ACMI Beyond.
NIKKI OSBORNE, BAD BARBIE
Rating: ★★★
Reviewer: Kate Rose
Public service announcement: Anyone who frowns, tuts, or generally isn’t OK with the liberal use of F-bombs and C-clangers, this isn’t the show for you, don’t even bother reading on.
If that’s not a problem, however, Nikki Osborne’s alter-ego, Bad Barbie, delivers a high-energy collection of pot shots at sacred cows, online sanctimony and a raft of headlines in between.
Not every bullet hits its target, but refreshingly Osborne doesn’t take herself too seriously as she rambles through the array of potential Barbies unlikely to make it on to shelves any time soon, the #MeToo movement, and the challenges – and laughs – of having a son on the spectrum.
Nikki Osborne, Bad Barbie, until April 21, European Bier Cafe.
PETER HELLIAR, THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF BETTER BOOKS
Rating: ★★★★
Reviewer: Daniel Ziffer
Self-starter Peter Helliar published books when he was in primary school.
Those books, rescued from the family garage in Bundoora, are brought to life with words, animation and laughter in this joyous show.
While not “for children” specifically, this is a warm-hearted hour friendly for families to attend together.
PETER HELLIAR, THE MULTI-TASKING MAESTRO
For parents it’s like being back in a time of delayed gratification, the 1980s.
Youngsters will enjoy the tales of adventure and friendship and understand a key reason to become an author, to make yourself the centre of the greatest stories ever told.
Exuberant and warm, this limited-run show rewards and celebrates a lifetime of childish play.
Peter Helliar, The Complete History of Better Books, until April 7, The Forum Upstairs.
PHIL WANG, PHILLY PHILLY WANG WANG
Rating: ★★★★½
Reviewer: Mikey Cahill
Well, well Wang Wang, you’ve done it. In a post-Nanette world you’ve dared to be different.
Not in a Jim “Am I Cancelled Yet?” Jeffries sorta way.
No, Wang is a comedian who wants to remind us all that a stand-up comedy show is like a toilet where you dump all your excrement, make people laugh, then head off quietly into this good night.
Wang rails against the idea comedians are the new moral arbiters; he insists they don’t get up early enough to read the news.
Phil riffs on arriving at an age, 29, where all his friends are settling down …and recording podcasts.
He has a cheeky, impish style that lets the audience relax and breathe easy, then he hits us with a perfectly weighted mass genocide gag. We’re all doomed.
Taking advantage of both sides of his British-Malaysian heritage, Wang compares himself to being two cola brands.
It’s his sharp verbal jousts that really tickled me as he turned on a latecomer after being gifted (literally and comedically) bereavement flowers.
Wang wrested control back from this odd interruption and charged on with darker gear about rape, Lenny Henry and what will happen to the world in 50 years.
In previous years, his Professor Calculus dottiness hindered the pace of his set. Not so in 2019; this is some very decent Wang on offer.
Phil Wang, Philly Philly Wang Wang, until April 21, ACMI.
POACHED EGGS AND ASPARAGUS, PARTY GHOST
Rating: ★★★½
Reviewer: Jim Schembri
What dark, devilish delights await the brave-of-heart who choose to witness the twisted theatrics offered up here.
As the venue is cast into an enticing darkness we are drawn into a richly atmospheric netherworld of white-sheeted ghosts and mischievous, wayward spirits who like to shape-shift and tease each other, often running among their enthralled gathering and playing party games with them.
Loosely themed around a birthday celebration that turns lethal, performers Jarred Dewey, Olivia Porter (both Circus Oz vets) and James Welsby (clad in black) deliver a wonderfully playful, word-free Goth-comedy with impressive acrobatic turns.
Like an alt-cabaret staged by restless ghosts, it’s light-hearted horror; immersive, spooky and deliciously creepy.
Poached Eggs and Asparagus, Party Ghost, until April 21, The Melba Spiegeltent.
RHYS NICHOLSON, NICE PEOPLE NICE THINGS NICE SITUATIONS
Rating: ★★★★
Reviewer: Stephanie Glickman
It’s hard to believe Rhys Nicholson is only 28.
With eight comedy shows under his belt, he’s a “square from the ’40s” (his words) in striped suit, patent leather shoes and thick, soap opera quality quiff.
This may explain why he feels out of place in doof bars and is off the drugs.
WOMAN’S EMAIL TAKES AIM AT ‘NASTY’ NICHOLSON
Hitting 29, he’s missed the window for things such as backpacking and group sex.
He’s not grumpy exactly, but he knows that the older you get, the less you have to give a s--t.
This rapid-firing, high-pitched gay man has plenty to say on parents that keep their kids’ teeth, smelly people at dog park and Skype sex.
Skilful ahead of his years, Nicholson quick-fires morsels, most of which land, and keeps momentum for the entire hour.
Rhys Nicholson, Nice People Nice Things Nice Situations, until 21 April, Victoria Hotel, Banquet Room.
ROSE CALLAGHAN, 12 RULES FOR LIFE
Rating: ★★
Reviewer: Jim Schembri
Despite her declared hatred of pop psychologist Jordan Peterson — a delicious set-up, to be sure — Rose Callaghan sadly bails on her edgy promise to shred the anti-PC advocate’s views on feminism, identity politics and free speech.
An early spurt of put-downs soon drifts off-topic into ever longer digressions about share-houses, middle-age, promiscuity, feminine hygiene, temp work, male genitalia and haircuts.
UNUSUAL SUSPECTS LINE UP FOR COMEDY FESTIVAL
These unrelated rants are standard stand-up fodder — and really quite funny.
Callaghan is also quite adept at audience banter.
So why the pretence about nailing Peterson, only to lose all interest?
She should either go full-pelt for his throat or drop him.
This show feels like a work-in-progress with patchy delivery and sporadic drops in confidence.
She even reads from notes, a practice that should be forbidden if comedians wish to charge for admission.
Rose Callaghan, 12 Rules For Life, until 21 April, Mantra on Russell.
ROSS NOBLE, HUMOURNOID
Rating: ★★★★
Reviewer: Jim Schembri
“Too Daft to be Offensive” are the words Ross Noble wants chiselled on his gravestone, a perfect precis given the raucous love he was shown by about 2500 adoring fans of his improvisational mastery.
Among his topics were: George Pell’s chimp; Lionel Richie’s perverted song lyrics; the indignity of playing minigolf in high winds; Eric Clapton’s guitar kittens; crank-operated mobile phones; John Travolta’s new film Ass-On; life drawing classes that go wrong; the use of tarpaulins in home births; how best to have sex with a person who is a fluid … and so on.
WHY PC WORLD WON’T HOLD ROSS NOBLE BACK
Clearly at the top of his game, Noble is a comic Catherine wheel of ad libs and surreal comic visions, his only request of fans being that they play along with his high-energy nonsense. And turn off their mobile phones.
Ross Noble, Humournoid, Palais (two shows only; 2019 Melbourne comedy festival run has finished).
SAM CAMPBELL & PAUL WILLIAMS, WIMPY CHIMPY BRAIN COMPETITION
Rating:★★★
Reviewer: Michael Ward
The thing you need to know about kids’ show Chimpy Wimpy Brain Competition is that, with very few changes, it would be equally at home playing to a midnight audience of comedy hipsters.
That’s a measure of how parodic this show is, which, while amusing for Campbell, Williams and friends (and the attending mums and dads) is a bit of a short change for the kids.
Don’t get me wrong — the school holiday audience dug the show’s colour, music, costumes and simian silliness, and it’s all clean, family fun — but the show’s nuttiness is a little indulgent and pitches over many youngsters’ heads.
Sam Campbell & Paul Williams, Wimpy Chimpy Brain Competition, until April 21, Melbourne Town Hall.
SAMI SHAH, SACRIFICING THE GOAT
Rating: ★★½
Reviewer: Stephanie Glickman
If anyone has cred to talk racism in Australia, it’s Pakistani comic and journalist Sami Shah.
He’s a former Muslim, now atheist and current ABC breakfast radio host in Melbourne.
He’s had death threats from ISIS, been vilified globally by the media and is equally contentious with Muslims and Australia’s far right.
So it’s a shame that Sacrificing the Goat feels a missed opportunity for fleshing out really great stories and social commentary.
There are some clever laughs, but ideas fire in all directions.
Shah ranges from funny to preachy to intellectual and even forgetful, occasionally losing his train of thought.
This scattershot approach means interesting observations never fully develop and some theories on things such as navigating inter-racial relationships just don’t land.
Sunday night’s half-full basement room of Melbourne Town Hall made the show even harder to pull off.
Sacrificing the Goat harbours a very intriguing premise but right now misses a bullseye.
Sami Shah, Sacrificing the Goat, until April 21, Melbourne Town Hall.
SIMON AMSTELL, WHAT IS THIS?
Rating: ★★★★½
Reviewer: Mikey Cahill
The “40-minute slump” is becoming the new “3.5-star reviews suck” gripe for comedians.
To explain, the “40-minute slump” is what happens at most one-hour stand-up comedy shows.
There was lots of chat about it last week on local podcast The Grub, as prominent local comedians dismissed it as not a real thing.
They acknowledged there was plenty of chat about it at Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2018.
To paraphrase the comedians: “It’s not hard to listen to someone talk for an hour.”
There’s a difference though — comedy is a tennis match, it’s not as simple as sitting there. Both contestants have to keep the ball in play (Joke. Laugh. Repeat) or things stagnate and that’s a ludicrously difficult feat to achieve via the medium of long-form comedy.
Fact: 85 per cent of shows have a 40-minute slump.
You must be in devastatingly good form (see Michelle Wolf, Mark Watson, Nath Valvo, Cassie Workman, James Acaster, among others) to pull it off.
Which brings us to Simon Amstell.
His first eight minutes were sluggish, he wasn’t quite locked in and the curly haired, quietly gay, soul comic looked at his notes a few times.
Then he slipped in a foolproof disclaimer: “Some comedians memorise their sets ...but I’m very busy.”
From there, it was up, up and away, as the 39-year-old comedian and film-maker discussed the drudge of getting up every damn day and getting on with it.
Amstell is at his best when his internal monologue bubbles to the surface, almost involuntarily.
Now in a seven-year relationship, he admits to us how hard it was for him to accept a significant other loves him even when he is idling insignificantly.
Amstell’s shrill skill as a storyteller is the reason no such LOLs plateau sets in; he mines material from his life and often turns the joke back on us and how swept up in our own private universes we’ve all become.
He really shines when illustrating the ways ayahuasca changed his life irrevocably and how he dances around the loungeroom each morning to get into a great mood.
There was no 40-minute slump.
He could have done another hour and everyone would have hung on his every word.
Amstell’s simple set-pieces all add up to searing, satisfying whole.
When he rolls the briefest of closing credits the crowd wants to binge the next episode.
Simon Amstell, What Is This?, until April 21, Arts Centre Melbourne — Fairfax Studio.
STEPHEN K AMOS, THE STORY SO FAR …
Rating: ★★★½
Reviewer: Daniel Ziffer
Repeat guest Stephen K Amos returns, looking back at his decade of visits and staking a new claim on the hearts of Melbourne comedy fans.
Can you hold the Melbourne comedy festival without Amos?
The veteran Brit has been a frequent flyer, and spends this year’s show looking back at his Australian adventures.
AMOS STEERING CLEAR OF CHEAP POT SHOTS
Deftly playing with the audience, laying traps along the way, Amos rolls through a breezy hour of tales.
Careening from a childhood spent with six siblings to observations about our nation, he never falters from his confident delivery of laughs.
A surprisingly emotional conclusion to the show comes alongside hints that this might be his last trip to the comedy festival.
Based on the rapturous reaction from the sold-out theatre, that’s unlikely.
Stephen K Amos, The Story So Far, until April 7, Athenaeum Theatre.
STEPH TISDELL, THE PYRAMID
Rating: ★★★½
Reviewer: Mikey Cahill
Steph Tisdell’s laugh is hard to top - an effortless little-bit-cheeky chuckle that bubbles up quickly and spills out like a waterfall. It’s just beautiful.
And the Queenslander makes her crowd laugh whenever she does.
Tonight though, there is an exceptional guffaw in the back of the room that beats out everybody. Tisdell makes sure to single the guy out.
The Pyramid’s narrative is a scheme that mostly works.
Tisdell charges through gear on wealth distribution, selfies with black kids, her indigenous roots and finds a new funny in a pap smear story that gives her a chance to say: “Welcome to count...ry.”
You won’t forget her rabbit-face any time soon.
The pace became a little stagnant when she spent too much time on the Sealife section (and the poor quality graphics, while charming at first, feel undergraduate by the end of the hour).
She seizes back our attention discussing why we have the worst mental health compared to previous generations: basically, we’re bored.
It’s when she’s being educational, letting her laugh out of the cage and sprinkling in jokes that Tisdell shows us what she’s got.
She also has the best Captain Cook joke of the festival. Along with Sam Taunton, Tisdell has received The Pinder Award, she’s going places, baby.
Steph Tisdell, The Pyramid, The Victoria Hotel - Vic’s Bar, until April 21.
THE COMEDY ZONE
Rating: ★★★
Reviewer: Michael Ward
All comics start somewhere and the Comedy Zone showcase provides invaluable exposure for five handpicked up-and-comers.
Ben Kochan fulfils the MC brief with charm and self-deprecating gags.
Bec Melrose is a measured performer with a clever bit about office politics wrapped up in the old- hat trope of racing commentary.
Drag queen Charity Werk brings glamour to the show but her personal material needs more jokes.
With a Luke McGregor-ish cadence to her delivery, Emma Holland amusingly melds art with comedy.
Pick of the bunch is young NT comedian David Woodhead, who has real stage presence and a nice line in stoner comedy.
The Comedy Zone, until April 21, Trades Hall.
THE LISTIES, R.O.F.L.S.H.A.L.B.O.W.C.O.
Rating:★★★
Reviewer: Jim Schembri
This show is a complete mess, at least by the end.
The stage is cluttered with garbage, clothes and scores of dead aliens, there’s a pile of cow dung and most of the audience is wet.
It’s what you get after the raucous hour-long mayhem created by control-freak Rich and chaos-loving Matt.
The kids loved them, responding en masse to all their calls for audience participation, though the kids often did the precise opposite of what Rich & Matt were asking.
It was a gorgeous spectacle.
Fractured fairy tales, twisted musical numbers and a liberal sprinkling of adult references (Kafka; Blanche Dubois; Brexit; The Prodigy) accelerated to a clap-along climax that left young and old alike with a deeper appreciation about the eternal appeal of the fart joke.
More power to them.
The Listies, R.O.F.L.S.H.A.L.B.O.W.C.O., until 21 April, Malthouse.
TOM BALLARD, ENOUGH
Rating: ★★★★½
Reviewer: Michael Ward
There’s no elephant in the room. The untimely axing of Tom Ballard’s satirical tonight show from the ABC is quickly addressed in this blistering hour of motor-mouthed, slick-as-black-ice comedy.
BALLARD WANTS ANOTHER CRACK AT TV
Ballard is a whirlwind of millennial contempt: for Baby Boomers, real estate agents, Uber eats, social media and much more.
The personal (gay saunas) is deftly entwined with the political (Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 as a scathing denouncement of capitalism).
It’s been a while since I last saw Ballard live but somewhere along the line he’s eased into the upper echelons of comic talent in this country. Brilliant, acerbic stuff.
Tom Ballard, Enough, until April 21, Melbourne Town Hall; also Fridays at Max Watts.
TOM GLEESON, JOY
Rating: ★★★★
Reviewer: Stephanie Glickman
Tom Gleeson says his new show, Joy, is 78 per cent true, leaving the audience to guess what’s fact and fiction.
Doesn’t really matter, as Joy is a very solid offering of sharp humour and wry sarcasm with lashings of Gleeson’s signature hard chat.
HOW TOM GLEESON NAILED THE ART OF BEING MEAN
The inanities of politicians, regional Australian life and domestic dramas all mix in a tightly written hour that wraps up almost a little too neatly.
Gleeson seemed slightly disappointed when heckling was of the swooning, rather than insulting variety, as he’s most in his comic element with snide repartee with his crowd.
A backdrop has Gleeson’s neckless mug, blown up to huge proportions in the O of JOY so there’s no escaping the once-ginger, now bald man commanding stage as both theatre set and live talent.
He reckons he’s arrogant bald — so imagine how smug he’d be with a full head of hair.
And who can really blame him for smugness? Gleeson career is riding high as a proven Aussie talent, consistently delivering the goods.
Tom Gleeson, Joy, until April 7, with extra shows added April 10-14. Comedy Theatre.
TOMMY LITTLE, SELF-DIAGNOSED GENIUS
Rating: ★★★½
Reviewer: Lynette Walker
Tommy Little is all over the small screen and radio airwaves, so it’s no surprise he plays to a full house on a school night.
He riffs off the latecomers, engaging in the time-honoured “how did you meet?” routine, to showcase some quick-fire improv.
READ OUR FULL TOMMY LITTLE REVIEW
TOMMY LITTLE SAYS BEING SINGLE BETTER THAN DATING APPS
The crux of his show is a recent attempt at the (in)famous Antarctic Ice Marathon, which had its origins in a soul-searching hairy night of excess in Sri Lanka.
The ill-equipped Little treks to the end of the earth to compete in subzero temperatures, milking the whole premise for all it’s worth.
Having survived the ordeal, Little — a non-swimmer — is now set on the 20km Rottnest Channel Swim.
Grist for the comic mill of next year’s show, perhaps?
Tommy Little, Self-Diagnosed Genius, until April 21, The Forum.
WIL ANDERSON, WIL-INFORMED
Rating: ★★★★½
Reviewer: Daniel Ziffer
Things that TV, radio and comedy superstar Wil Anderson won’t ever run out of? Punny titles, packed shows of happy customers and industry acclaim.
Anderson’s 23rd straight year of doing shows at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival brings him slap-bang into a brutal life milestone: he is 45 years old, middle-aged.
It also displays his continued originality and diligence.
WHAT WIL ANDERSON REALLY THINKS OF EDDIE
Most artists perform before a black curtain. He has a vast commissioned artwork.
Most comedians whose day job is hosting breakfast on radio station Triple M would shy from mocking right-wing hero Jordan Peterson, or deciding to splay open toxic masculinity and environmental decay. Anderson? Boots in.
Never a lecture, this is a laugh-a-minute ride, masterfully helmed.
Wil Anderson, Wil-Informed, until April 21, Comedy Theatre.
REPEAT PERFORMANCES
Some comedians are returning to this year’s festival with shows they also performed last year.
Here’s what we said about their shows last year:
AKMAL, TRANSPARENT
Rating: ★★★½
Reviewer: Joe Calleri
Akmal’s hour-long comedy show, Transparent, is about the bald, nuggety, black-clad, 53-year old comedian riffing and improvising LOUDLY about everything and nothing; where audiences, who don’t mind a bit of good-natured rib-poking, become material fodder; and where the atmosphere and performer are so relaxed, you can get up whenever you like to get a drink.
WHY AKMAL TURNS DOWN STADIUM SHOWS
Akmal’s show is all sound and fury, and having a few chuckles, while the show’s thin, loose (dare I call it transparent?) structure makes it ideal comedy fare the masses should love — while also loving their beers.
Akmal, Transparent, April 5, 12, 13, The Palms at Crown Casino.
MORE: COMEDY LEGENDS WITH BRAND NEW SHOWS IN 2019
BRITISH AND IRISH COMEDIANS YOU NEED TO SEE
BEST US COMEDIAN SHOWS TO SEE AT MELBOURNE COMEDY FESTIVAL
KITTY FLANAGAN, SMASHING
Rating: ★★★★★
Reviewer: Stephanie Glickman
From the moment Kitty Flanagan walked on stage, tempting with door prizes and riffing on smashing being the only verb modern humans now need (it’s so ubiquitous — you can smash a coffee, cocktails, work, even a shower), she had the audience eating out of the palm of her hand.
If, as Flanagan suggests, you can smash anything, Flanagan smashed this performance in all aspects — content, physical technique and elocution.
READ OUR FULL 2018 REVIEW OF KITTY FLANAGAN’S SMASHING
All stars aligned in a show that is, essentially, about familiar, even pedestrian, subjects. But with Flanagan’s framing, topics as well-worn as generational differences take on new depths, especially relatable for the Gen X and Baby Boomer crowd.”
Kitty Flanagan, Smashing, April 4-20, The Palms at Crown Casino.
LANO AND WOODLEY, FLY
Rating: ★★★★½
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Get ready to hold on to your aching sides, because Lano and Woodley are ridiculously funny and idiotic in Fly.
Colin (Lano) is determined to stage a serious bit of theatre, a play about the flying Wright brothers, but Frank (Woodley) keeps tilting the show into the stupid, silly nonsense for which Lano and Woodley are renowned.
READ OUR FULL 2018 REVIEW OF LANO & WOODLEY’S FLY
In front of a gloriously complex wall of geometric design, eclectic projections and exploding lights, this beloved comic duo frolics from one madcap idea to another, creating their signature style of comedy mayhem.
Lano and Woodley’s slapstick comedy is almost vaudevillian, and they are masters of cunning reincorporation, hilarious put-downs, and the endless postponement of gags and payoffs — all of which have the audience cheering and howling with laughter.
Lano and Woodley, Fly, April 16-21, Arts Centre Melbourne — Playhouse.
What to see at the comedy festival this weekend
From a big-name benefit in support of Christchurch terror victims to a chat show with a difference, these are the best offerings at the Melbourne comedy festival this weekend.
Who’s firing at the comedy festival?
We’ve just passed the halfway mark of the 33rd Melbourne comedy festival. Mikey Cahill takes us through the bangers and clangers so far — who has excelled or repelled?