5 Good Reasons to see The Improv Conspiracy Tournament of Teams

1. Sixteen teams comprised by over 60 of Melbourne’s best comedians and most experienced improvisers are competing in the Tournament of Teams.

2. It features four different improv comedy teams performing every show (with the exception of the Grand Final which will be just two teams with a greater time limit). Different acts each show with a very different style of comedy than the one before them, all for just $10!

3. YOU decide which teams continue forward in the tournament by voting at the end of every show.

4. The tournament has a fun little storyline orbiting around it featuring four different characters (Alien Commander, Superhero, Fairy Princess, Corporate Powerhouse) that will be hosting each show.

5. It’s completely improvised! ANYTHING could happen! This is the must-see improv event of the year.

The Tournament of Teams on at The Improv Conspiracy Theatre every Friday and Saturday until April 22

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2017/shows/2nd-annual-tournament-of-teams

The Bedroom Philosopher – Cat Show

By Elyce Phillips
Cat Show

Crawling to the stage in a feline ensemble of tail, chest fur and knee-length dress shorts, The Bedroom Philosopher (Justin Heazlewood) set the tone for the evening ahead – very funny, a little awkward and extremely cat-based. Cat Show explores the world of cats from many angles, taking a look at their history, their propensity to disappear and their place in Heazlewood’s life.

There’s an apt playfulness to Heazlewood’s performance in Cat Show. At times, he’s as fickle and coy as his show’s namesake, toying between snippets of things he could perform. At other times, the cat parallels are more straightforward. One of the best things about Cat Show is the little details that Heazlewood throws in – batting at a pinwheel in frustration, gamboling about with a bit of paper on the floor, getting that butt wiggle just so before pouncing. This is a show with plenty of cat specifics to offer.

Cat Show’s sections of stand-up and storytelling stay on theme. We’re taken through a history of cats and there’s an in-depth look at missing cat poster design. But, of course, it wouldn’t be a Bedroom Philosopher show without music, and there’s a bunch of new songs to be enjoyed here. One detailing the pitfalls of share-housing was particularly strong. In addition to the newer material, the inclusion of old favourite Happy Cow was a treat for long-time fans.

There are sections of the show that are still a little shaky, with the occasional lyrical slip-up and self-deprecating aside. Cat Show is not a polished production, by any means. It is, however, a show that is cohesively scrappy. The costume, the props, the slideshow of a third-grade history project – they all feel right alongside Heazlewood’s lyrics about people and animals whose lives aren’t quite going right.

The Bedroom Philosopher is a stalwart of the Australian comedy scene and Cat Show does not disappoint. It’s a weird show and not without its jankier moments, but there’s an underlying charm that will win over any cat lover.

Cat Show is on at The Coopers Malthouse Bagging Room until April 9
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2017/shows/the-bedroom-philosopher-the-cat-show

Soap

By Angela East
Soap

Soap is a slick circus cabaret from Germany that has been touring the world for the past ten years. It is being presented in Melbourne for the first time this year as part of the Comedy Festival after previous visits to Australia for Brisbane and Sydney festivals, and the Adelaide fringe to wide acclaim.

Six large bathtubs set the stage. These are utilised as props by the performers in many different ways over the 80 minutes of the show. It starts with legs and arms popping out and the cast dancing up from the tubs to pop music accompanied with live operatic singing. The bathtubs replace the traditional circus staging devices, such as balance beams and juggling platforms, and also serve as stages for comedic feet puppetry and exaggerated body illusions. And of course the bath is filled with water for a climatic feature of the program.

A clownish character provides comic relief throughout the show, and though her early encounter with an audience member feels a bit gauche, it thankfully proves to be a lead in for a later act. The cast are all given their moment in the spotlight to show off their skills, and there is a lot more of the cheeky humour, including a juggling striptease, an amusing rendition of Swan Lake in nothing but bath towels, and some water-soaked acrobatics that means there is always a risk that the audience in the front rows might end up a little damp.

Some of the sections felt slightly too long and repetitive, including a section dedicated to ‘splashy splashy’ bath themed song gags, and a few of the circus feats did not quite deliver a big “ah!” moment to satisfactory conclude a set. There were however many highlights, and the cast provided plenty of chances for the audience to be wowed with their skills and strength.

Highlights included: an amazing foot juggler spinning towels on her toes, a sensual acrobatic dance between two of the male cast members which provides some gravitas in contrast to earlier frivolities, an impressive performance on straps showing off the strength and muscle of the performer, and a beautiful performance on the trapeze, the latter two performed under falling rain.

I would have loved to have seen the show pushed a little more, both thematically and physically, but Soap is sensual and refined and it has balanced this with humour and physical theatre to be a highly entertaining show suitable for all ages.

Soap is on at The Coopers Malthouse until April 22nd
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2017/shows/soap

Michael Workman: Nothing You Do Means Anything

By James Shackell Michael Workman 17

Michael Workman has lost the will to be funny. Or, more accurately, the will to be the niche brand of funny that leads to critical acclaim, personal fulfilment and abject poverty. Since he stormed onto the scene way back in 2011 with Humans Are Beautiful, he gained a rep for thought provoking fables: well-sculpted parables on the human condition that left 30% of the audience confused, and brought the other 70% to tears. The awards flowed in. His 2012 show Mercy got its own DVD. He picked up his first Barry Award nomination in 2013 for Ave Loretta. Compared to the average Australian comedian’s trajectory, which begins with an Arts degree and ends somewhere in Human Resources, things couldn’t have been going better. There was only one catch: he wasn’t conventionally popular.

His latest show, Nothing You Do Means Anything, is about what happened next.

Fast-forward to 2016. Michael Workman has been hired on The Voyage of the Damned: a cruise ship comedian, serving up his personal brand of whimsy to a silent and aggressive room of geriatrics with their arms folded. They hated him. He finished the cruise and seriously thought of giving up comedy for good – old people can be mean when they want to be.

This is the kind of soul-tearing, existential crisis from which grew Nothing You Do Means Anything. The title, we realise, refers to Workman himself. His own doubts about the merits of artistic integrity when measured up against stuff like money and popular success. “I can be a hack. I can be,” Workman rants at himself, while deliberately trying to channel a ticket-selling persona, or the naff pull-back-and-reveals which probably would’ve have killed on the cruise ship. It’s tongue-in-cheek meta comedy at its blackest nadir. Like watching Keith Richards get up on stage and smash his guitar with tears in his eyes.

Having said that, I laughed a lot. I thought a lot. And the show’s stayed with me for days since, living in some back pocket of my mind, resurfacing at odd moments. In other words, even when Workman is trying not to be Workman, he can’t do it. He can’t not be clever and articulate and niche and cynical and challenging. He’s too much himself for that.

There’s a point in the show where Workman references Bill Hicks, the great 90s comedian, whose last words on stage were “I don’t want to do this anymore.” But there’s another Hicks quote that’s relevant here: “When did mediocrity and banality become a good image for your children? I want my children listening to people who f***ing rocked! I want someone who plays from his f***ing heart.” Amen to that.

Michael Workman performs Nothing You Do Means Anything at The Chinese Museum

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2017/shows/michael-workman-nothing-you-do-means-anything

 

Timothy Clark – badboycomedy69@hotmail.com

By Elyce Phillips
Timothy Clark

We all had slightly embarrassing email addresses when we were younger. Email addresses that spoke to just how cool we were in high school. My first email included a reference to a Tetley tea commercial I thought was pretty great, so we all know I was very cool and definitely had a lot of friends. Timothy Clark’s old email address makes for a brilliant opening sketch in badboycomedy69@hotmail.com, and follows through the hour as an example of misguided youth. It’s a terrific show filled with stand-up and storytelling that looks back on Clark’s earlier, awkward days.

Clark’s act is confident, polished and always a step or two ahead of the audience. Even when you think you’ve adjusted to his comedic style, he still manages to catch you off-guard. The stories in badboycomedy69@hotmail.com are funny and honest – the usual tales of gigs gone wrong and romantic misadventures – but are pushed a step or two further than expected. There’s a Tinder story, but it diverts somewhere weird. There’s a tale of a nightmare corporate job, but then a killer jazz joke. For every stand-up trope this show hits, there is a delightfully surprising counterpart to keep you on your toes. Clark’s delivery strikes a fine balance between relatable vulnerability and attention-holding bravado. He’s quick to get the audience onside and the energy stayed up right through the show.

badboycomedy69@hotmail.com is stand-up done well, filled with anecdotes that feel familiar but are still unique enough to keep you laughing. It’s a fine example of the fact that any topic can feel fresh if it’s tackled with enough talent. Timothy Clark has crafted a belter of a show, and it’s got a killer finale that’s sure to impress any fan of late ‘90s pop culture.

badboycomedy69@hotmail.com is on at Number 12 La Barre Electronique until April 9
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2017/shows/badboycomedy69athotmail-com

Laura Davis – Cake in the Rain

By Lisa Clark
Cake In The Rain
It seems that the ravages of 2016 have affected the comedians of this years MICF deeply. So far the majority of shows I’ve seen have been about fear and anxiety. Laura Davis’s show is about the world disintegrating around us like a cake in the rain.

Laura has developed in leaps and bounds as a comedian since moving to Melbourne from Perth. Her first show was based on her life and health issues which explain why there is a sense of fragility to her standup style, but what has emerged over the years is that not unlike Wolverine she has a backbone of Adamantium and a mind like a steel trap. Laura’s best work has a political edge that can produce an audible jaw drop from the audience with cutting lines that can suddenly and unexpectedly stab you in the solar plexus.

Laura’s show rages against the hallmarks of the approaching apocalypse and not always at the usual suspects. She hates the dumb supercilious doomsday preppers who haven’t really thought it all through and our own smugness in thinking that we as Australians are better than America or the UK when in fact, we have our own issues we should be dealing with. Laura has learned firsthand how wealthy companies won’t pay their staff properly through hilariously horrific sounding gigs she has had to turn down. The impressive part is how Laura has such a unique and hilarious take on all of these things.

I don’t like comparing comedians but at the moment I would compare Laura to Wil Anderson. Laura is that good. She can wrangle an audience into submission and have them eating out of her hand. She has her own refreshingly unique take on the world that is hilarious and at times devastating in its honesty. The underground bunker vibe of Fort Delta is perfect for the post-apocalyptic admonitions of Cake in the Rain, but it is clear that the astonishingly talented Laura should be in massive rooms playing to Wil Anderson level audiences.

Laura Davis’ Cake In The Rain is on at Fort Delta until April 22
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2017/shows/laura-davis