Alanta Colley – Trick or Treatment

By Peter Hodgson

Look, life is hard and we all just want to feel better. It’s only natural, and nature is comforting. So it makes sense to turn to nature itself to feel better, right? Right?!? That’s the question at the heart of Trick Or Treatment, a science-centred comedy show that tracks Alanta Colley’s investigation of various alternative treatments for the chronic fatigue that can rob her of energy, time, creativity and joy.

Public health practitioner, comedian, storyteller and big brain Colley wants us to look at the parallels between big pharma and big chakra. The ways we’re guided towards specific treatments that may or may not be in our best interests but which are certainly interesting to someone else’s bottom line. So we’re taken through four treatments from the perspective of data collection and evaluation (we’re informed there’s another audience watching an empty stage elsewhere as a control group).

 These treatments – homeopathy, acupuncture, some e-meter kinda thing that measures your skin conductivity to apparently determine how much money you should spend on expensive treatments, and psychedelics – are laid out in terms of ‘What are they said to treat? How are they said to treat it? What do the experts say? And what are Alanta’s findings?’

You may expect a certain cynicism going into this show, but there’s a lot of heart to this story. There may be some alternative-medicine shysters trying to bilk scared people out of their money, but the critical eye is directed at those shysters, not the ordinary folks just looking for something, anything, to help them feel better. We look at the mechanics and dichotomies of homeopathy, the history and applications of conductivity meters, the consumer demand for acupuncture, and the claimed benefits of psychedelics in resetting the worldview. We also look at the placebo effect and how it can be employed to achieve real benefit. And we’re given a first hand rundown of an ayahuasca ceremony from soup to nuts (or rather, from tea to psychedelic mindf**k). But not once do we feel Colley is punching down at those who seek these treatments. Some of the practitioners sure take some hits though.

The show is tied together with a Powerpoint presentation and audio-visual cues executed with perfect timing and wit, from a hilarious chart about the research and evaluation phases of the scientific method to the uncomfortable juxtaposition of elevator music and 
well I won’t say any more but if you’re frightened of needles you’ll want to bring along a stress ball.

 Trick Or Treatment is a hugely entertaining, educating show, and Colley is such a warm, confessional storyteller that you feel drawn into her world within minutes of the show starting, and thinking about it long after it’s over. You may never want to drink arsenic again!

Trick or Treatment is on at The butterfly Club until March 31

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2024/shows/trick-or-treatment

Burton Brothers : 1925

By Colin Flaherty

1925. “The greatest year in human history.” Brothers Tom and Josh Burton present an all-singing, all-dancing sketch extravaganza in which we meet all manner of kooky characters from this inter-war period.

Those expecting an accurate period piece will not get one, instead this is a show possibly based on accurate historical facts (I don’t know! I didn’t study early 20th Century History in great detail.) viewed through the lens of the 21st century. Much mirth was found in pointing out the human race’s penchant for repeating history’s mistakes. As you would expect the bulk of the humour revolved around the differences in societal norms between then and now, cleverly done with sly winks to the audience saying “Can you believe this was acceptable back then?” It was a smidge disappointing that the brothers Burton felt they needed to slightly step out of character to assure us they didn’t agree with some of the words that came from their characters mouths. Surely everyone in the room were already on board with the show’s conceit to let these controversial topics slide?

The show wraparound of a pair Radio Announcers was a nice way of transporting us to the time period through the dominant entertainment medium of the time. All sketches featured brilliant punchlines with not a dud amongst them. Rounding out the show with epilogues for most of the featured characters was a tasty cherry on top.

Music featured heavily throughout with tunes from (or near the period) used a links between sketches. Original numbers sung by the characters were full of witty lines that kept us chuckling. One particular nonsensical ditty is an earworm that’s sure to burrow into your brain. These boys sure could belt out the tunes!

This was a slickly polished production with great choreography, music, sound and lighting. They got a little loose at times (especially when thrown a spicy suggestion during an impro section) and it was nice to see the two enjoying themselves up there. Both brothers threw themselves wholeheartedly into this performance with some well executed slapstick, exaggerated gesturing  and plenty of mugging. Their vocal talents were on full display in both their carrying the period tunes and plenty of wacky accents, ranging from Midwest American Yokel to Mid-Atlantic with an Australian twang.

The few moments of audience participation rarely ventured beyond acknowledging a character thrust upon you in service of a sketch but you could feel sphincters clenching as the boys surveyed the crowd.

A fast paced, high energy hour, 1925 kept the audience enthralled and in stitches. A brilliant tour de force from this very talented duo.

1925 is on at Trades Hall until April 7

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2024/shows/burton-brothers

Belinda Anderson-Hunt – The Sun and the Hermit

By Colin Flaherty 

The Sun and the Hermit is peculiar little show. Belinda Anderson-Hunt presents a collection of bizarre characters in what looks like the contents of a dusty deceased estate. Just like the work of David Lynch, whom she namechecks in her blurb, there is the feeling of the familiar in these creatures but something strange is lurking beneath the surface.

The characters she inhabits are simultaneously sweet and unsettling, each effortlessly brought to life with silly vocalisation and nuanced gestures. It is brilliant how she interacts with and reacts to the artificiality of the theatre space with some perfectly executed sound and lighting cues. The musical soundtrack features many enjoyable mood setting classical & jazz pieces that often threaten to drown out the words that she utters.

A deliberately paced show, Anderson-Hunt spends most of her time padding around the stage barefoot, putting on costumes and rearranging the props in a measured manner. We are occasionally allowed to titter and chuckle when this timid little creature drip feeds us the odd whimsical look or amusing quip. After taking her sweet time building up the tension each scene reaches a brilliantly satisfying crescendo, bringing forth much hilarity.  This is not done in a “hit you over the head with loud bombast” but with a kooky and surreal soul emerging from out of nowhere.

Gaulier trained Anderson-Hunt uses the hour to showcase her wonderful clowning skills, both in mime and manipulation of the many props placed around the stage. Even my companion, who is not particularly fond of theatrical clowning, found this performance intriguing and amusing. It certainly helps when the performer knows when to back off from those who do not wish to play.

Audience participation is key to this performance, which even extends to the back rows, as she wanders the room in search of people to play with. It is often difficult to comprehend what it is she actually wants from you with her gesturing without words, finally resorting to some verbal prodding to keep the story rolling along. Be warned that if you are seated up front it’s difficult to see what’s going on behind you without bodily contortion and the low lighting only adds to risk of missing out on some potential gems of comedy.

Even though this is Belinda’s MICF debut, this has already been honed at various Fringe Festivals around the country. What we have is a gentle theatrical experience in the hands of an accomplished performer that brings us to multiple climaxes of mirth. Bravo!

The Sun and the Hermit is on at The Motley Bauhaus until April 5

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2024/shows/the-sun-and-the-hermit

Ange Lavoipierre – Your Mother Chucks Rocks And Shells

By Bren Carruthers

Drawing its name from the mangled, censored phrases in various versions of the 1973 film The Exorcist, Your Mother Chucks Rocks And Shells is a twisted descent into insomnia and nightmares in the desperate pursuit of sleep. Ange Lavoipierre whips through a fever dream narrative littered with internet searches, ASMR recordings, and of course the omnipresent horror film and its various characters.

Directed by Josh Glanc – a dab hand at surreal performances himself – the show lays more to the side of absurdist theatre than the more laugh-inducing comedy that most MICF patrons would be accustomed to or be expecting. Perhaps this is highlighted no better than in comparing Your Mother Chucks Rocks and Shells to Lavoipierre’s other show from earlier in the festival, the positively raucous but no less ridiculous Jazz Or A Bucket Of Blood alongside Jane Watt. It is a real testament to Lavoipierre’s many talents and range, but also a potential hurdle in locking down a devoted audience.

There are some moments of levity; the dialogue-free opener is a treat, and interactions with “the Internet” (voiced by Jane Watt) provide genuine laughs. But a lack of coherent structure prevents the show from ever reaching its true potential. In fairness, the show’s flow and reflexivity are both masterful and delightful, unfurling and refolding upon itself in a way only deeply unsettled sleep seems to elicit. But it seems The Exorcist can’t support the weight of being the show’s primary thematic thread, and even with some on-stage retelling of the film, having more than a passing familiarity with The Exorcist is a virtual must. A broader audience will struggle to grasp Your Mother Chucks Rocks And Shells – this show is one for the horror fans and those with a taste for the absurd.

Ange Lavoipierre’s Your Mother Chucks Rocks And Shells is on at The Butterfly Club until April 23.

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2023/shows/your-mother-chucks-rocks-and-shells

Jordan Gray – Is It A Bird

By Peter Newling

If this esteemed website offered star ratings for its reviews, this would be a five star review.

Any Melbournite with a capacity for empathy will have been horrified by the recent scenes of anti-trans hatred appearing on the steps of our Parliament House, backed up by conspiracy theorists and saluting Nazis. It is against this troubling backdrop that Melbourne is playing host to what I believe to be one of the most timely and important hours of comedy we’ve seen in years.

Jordan Gray is a trans woman. Over the course of the hour, she shares her story, her soul, and (note the nudity warning) her body with us. Using a superhero theme, Jordan picks away at the hypocrisy underpinning anti-trans sentiment, asking us to help her understand how people can idolise a man who transforms into a bat, yet struggle with a man who transforms into a woman. The title of the show works on so many levels.

Make no mistake – it’s breathtakingly hilarious. This show has toured extensively over the past year or two and has rightly achieved critical acclaim wherever it’s been, including earning Gray a best show nomination at last year’s Edinburgh Festival.

The material is well honed and perfectly balanced. Spoken parts of the set are delivered with huge energy and unrelenting joy. Her exaggerated physicality and expression make the joy infectious – it flows off the stage and engulfs the audience. Her audience interaction is playful and non-threatening.

The songs are a highlight of the show. Her musicality is phenomenal. Brilliant keyboard skills are matched by an amazing voice. And the writing is outstanding. Minchin-esque, the songs are lively, irreverent, topical and bloody hilarious. She performs them with every molecule of her being.

The closing line is heartbreaking.

In some ways it’s a shame this show is playing in a venue which only allows 129 people per night to see it. It’s great to see that an additional show, in a much bigger venue, has been added. I hope it doesn’t lose its intimacy.

All of us will have seen shows that have stayed in our minds days after the event. This one is unforgettable.

Jordan Gray – Is It A Bird is playing at the Melbourne Town Hall Powder Room until April 23.
The Saturday April 22 show has been relocated to Max Watt’s.
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2023/shows/letters-from-my-heroes

Jon Walpole – One Man Performing A Two-Man Show

By Colin Flaherty

Slapstick bits about performing a double act solo have been seen before in short spots but Jon Walpole has taken the concept to its logical conclusion, an hour length show where one performer is in absentia. What results is a hilarious and clever performance with plenty of pathos thrown in.

He raises the stakes and shows all the obvious pitfalls and pratfalls of performing one man down early. His Aunty Donna styled opening song clubs us over the head that this is a double act. He shows the pregnant pauses for lines that are never returned, the absent physical contact and the risk of injury when the other person is not there to catch you.

The remainder of the show gradually reveals facts about Jon and Tim’s relationship as he nervously waits for the tardy appearance of his partner. To keep things on the road, urged on by words of encouragement from his tech James and an audience happy to play along with the conceit, Jon performs amusing sketches using props and assistance from members of the audience. Crowd work and audience participation play a huge part in this show but none of it is embarrassing or complicated.

With a background in clowning, Jon is a wonderfully physical performer and has constructed a world that shows this off. He manipulates his imaginative props, mimes his way through sketches and interacts with weird and wonderful characters that inhabit this strange theatrical world. The whole room becomes a playground and everyone is a part of the experience.

A shout-out must go to the tech James who holds this show together audibly. Hilarious reactive sound effects play a large part in the performance and Jon reacts to many sound cues and recorded dialogue that largely go off without a hitch. This is an audio visual tour de farce.

One Man Performing A Two-Man Show is on at The Motley Bauhaus until April 23
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2023/shows/one-man-performing-a-two-man-show