Local and international comics laughing it up for Melbourne International Comedy Festival

RANTS, raves and improvisation are the tools of choice for comedians at this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

RANTS, raves and improvisation are the tools of choice for comedians at this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Comedian Anne Edmonds shows wise-ass brilliance.

Anne Edmonds, Melbourne Town Hall: Review by Annika Priest *****

Loveable, larrikin comedian Anne Edmonds’ starting momentum is slightly stalled when she notices a teenager in the front row just before she’s about to tell an oral sex joke, but mum gives it the OK so on she powers, and doesn’t stop. Edmonds has understandably flourished since winning the peer-voted Piece of Wood at the comedy festival last year - her new show That’s Eddotainment is more personal and hilariously endearing, detailing her ineptitude at saucy sex and how she frittered away $40,000 of savings after a debilitating break up. Her portrayal of the slavish life of a renter cow-towing to real estate agents has the audience in stitches, but it’s her impersonation of a drunk girl falling down the stairs twice at an Amanda Palmer gig that is pure Edmonds wise-ass brilliance.

The punchlines come thick and fast for Tim Vine. Picture: Stuart Milligan

Tim Vine, Tim Timinee Tim Timinee Tim Tim to You, Victoria Hotel, City: Review by Rick Edwards ***

As you do, I went to YouTube to watch a few minutes of Tim Vine before I went to his show. I was suitably impressed by the internet entree but shining in three minutes is far easier than putting together 60 minutes of laughs. One hour is perhaps too long for Vine’s bread and butter: puns. By the second half hour, you could almost guess the punchline. For example, something about Eve (from Adam and Eve) having a last name “Ning”. There are some high points though. His “pun-ters” (see it’s not hard, is it?) generally loved his music and his gags. When it’s not an obvious pun, Vine can be really, really funny, like this joke: “I decided to sell my Hoover ... well it was just collecting dust.”

How funny can a ventriloquist be? Hilarious if you’re Nina Conti.

Nina Conti, Arts Centre: Review by Annika Priest ***

As a newcomer to this chic, Barry Award-winning UK comedian I was highly skeptical about how funny a ventriloquist could be, but within the first five minutes was sold by her hilarious schizophrenia and potty-mouthed 80s puppet monkey. But Monkey is relegated back to his bag for a lot of the show as she unleashes her new toys which make unfortunate front row audience members the dummies. Dragging them up on stage, she straps cartoon-ish rubbery half masks to their faces and makes them jabber in a hilarious range of accents and characters. Her improvisational skills are madly impressive, as is the willingness of her living dummies to match their body actions to her words as the audience roars at their expense. It culminates with her coordinating a four person dance sequence like some Machiavellian puppet master. It’s clever and inspired to be sure, but towards the end the laughs at the volunteers’ expense became a bit tiring.

Dr Neal Portenza, needed a good lie down and a valium according to one audience member.

Dr Neal Portenza, Melbourne Town Hall: Review by Annika Priest. ****

Anyone averse to audience participation, the sight of numerous squeaking rubber chickens shoved down underpants, flying playdoh or fake blood dripping down a naked torso might find this show hard going. But for those who like their comedy unhinged, absurd and totally unpredictable, this rosy-cheeked freak is your man. The Melbourne comedian keeps a row of balloons at the back of the stage named with different sections in the show and if the jokes bomb he pops it, and if they get a reaction he lets it float away which gives the audience a real sense of agency. It’s hard to keep track of him as he vaults across chairs through the audience, throws bitchy quips at his sound guy, demands to be shot by $2 shop foam bullets from the audience and lays himself bare in many ways. No wonder an audience member handed him a valium at the end.

Simon Munnery brings a quirky mix to the festival.

Simon Munnery, Melbourne Town Hall. Review by Annika Priest **

After 30 years in the industry, the intelligent UK comedian Simon Munnery is obviously a survivor and has a lot of credibility and chutzpah, but this show is definitely not one of his career highlights. It’s a quirky mix of angry rants, prop gags, anecdotes, absurdist ramblings and straight jokes, but Munnery gets visibly flustered and annoyed when he doesn’t get the reaction he wants which makes things incredibly awkward, and at one stage he even refers to the audience as “sponges”. There are highlights - such as his rap song about Vladimir Putin pooing in a tin - but overall he seemed more like someone eccentric you’d meet at a dinner party than a stand-up comedian.