Squirrel Comedy – Page 116 – We're Nuts About Australian Comedy

Ben Russell – The Pilot

By Elyce Phillips

A plane takes off from the tarmac, filled with crew and passengers – each with a story to tell. This is the set-up for Ben Russell’s The Pilot, a hilarious character comedy that is the perfect vehicle to show off Russell’s talents.

The Pilot has a cast of many, all played by Russell. Onboard the plane, we meet a dejected co-pilot, an uppity stewardess, a Chicago ex-cop and more. Each character Russell slips into is distinct and well-rounded. The accents are at times unplaceable, but the voices are clear and it’s easy to follow the story as Russell switches from thread to thread. There are thoroughly enjoyable moments with every character. Russell doesn’t let the pace drop for a second, getting big laughs even when he fumbles or a bit of audience participation doesn’t quite go to plan.

The plot of The Pilot is a secondary concern. The most enjoyable parts involve Russell going off on an odd tangent, often involving a lengthy section of mime work. A moment in which Russell silently portrays the backstory of his stewardess is an absolute highlight. The show has a great script, but it’s loose enough for Russell to play with the audience and muck around with sound cues. It looks like Russell is have a great time on stage and that enthusiasm and sense of fun is infectious. The Pilot feels like more than a one-man show, such are the energy levels in the room.

The Pilot is a show that is jam-packed with nonsense. Russell provides some of the best character comedy in the festival and it’s extraordinary to watch. It’s ambitious, ridiculous and very, very funny.

Ben Russell – The Pilot is on at Melbourne Town Hall Lunch Room until April 23
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2017/shows/ben-russell-in-the-pilot

Best of British

By James Shackell

I’ve always believed that British humour isn’t like regular humour. It’s subtler, more ironic and soaked with a self-aware melancholy that you only get when your country has lost its imperial stranglehold and now hangs its jaunty cap on statistics like diabetes per capita and casual violence. And yeah, the accent helps too. If you took two equally talented comedians, both with perfect timing and well-honed craft, the one who pronounces ‘scone’ as ‘scowne’ will always be inherently funnier. That’s just science.

So I was pretty excited about Best of British, the Festival’s UK-themed ‘lucky dip’, where you pay $20, reach your hand in, and pull out either a delicious pork pie or (if you’re unlucky) a metaphorical black pudding. Either way, you’re in for a good Tuesday night, and this year’s line-up is definitely one of the strongest I’ve seen. Four acts, and there wasn’t a dud among them.

Kai Humphries
A young comedian with a Newcastle brogue so thick you might struggle to catch the faster material. Luckily I came prepared with three seasons of Geordie Shore under my belt. Humphries has a gangly, ginger energy on stage, riffing on pretty standard stuff like the big spoon/little spoon debate, dating a girl much hotter than him and a few well-timed observations about Australians and jaywalking against the lights (“There’s nae cars for miles and miles, and you’re all like, ‘Hold!’ Hold!’ Not yet!”) It’s not material that’s going to set the world on fire, but it warmed the crowd up a treat, which is all you can ask from your first act. Three stars.

Markus Birdman
Damn I love discovering comedians like Markus Birdman, a slick, weasel-faced Pom who seemed to be three beers south of sober by the beginning of the set. The audience was on-board after the first Holocaust gag, which drew a few risqué ‘Ooohs’ from the crowd: “Oh, sorry, have I misjudged those Nazis? Too soon is it?” Bergman shot back with an eyebrow raised. His style is belligerent drunk meets middle-aged shaman, and there’s some smart material in here on fatherhood, growing old and the dangers of teaching our kids to believe in dreams. I saw enough to Google his solo show, Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea. Five Stars.

Rory Lowe
Rory Lowe looks like he’s going to be a nob (objective journalism is overrated). He’s a dreadlocked, UK-born, Aussie-raised twenty-something with the vacant stare of the serial puff addict. A Rastafarian Bradley Cooper. But damn is he funny. I’m happy to say he won me over big time, despite my usual hesitation over comedians who get 60% of their laughs from delivery alone (i.e. shouting stuff). There’s some clever word play around wine and erectile dysfunction and plenty of observations on the cross-cultural differences between the UK the Oz. He’s got a schtick, and he works it well. A solid four stars.

Andrew Stanley
Jesus, if the idea of audience participation freaks you out, do not sit within three rows of Andrew Stanley. It’s not a criticism to say he has no material: he pulled 15 minutes of comedy out of the air, bouncing around the front row of the crowd and ripping into them like an Irish pit-bull. I would not heckle this guy if you paid me $5000. He’s too quick, too cutting. Stanley is a familiar face back home, running The Comedy Cellar in Ireland and hosting the RTE 2 show I Dare Ya. His stand-up is 100% sweaty, manic energy, but he’s clearly a total pro. Not many comedians would have the guts to base a set on nothing but swagger and wits. If that’s your thing, down a quick pint, strap yourself in and go nuts. You’ll have a wonderful time. Four stars.

Best of British is on at The Exford Hotel until April 23

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2017/shows/best-of-british

Sarah Kendall – Shaken

By Lisa Clark

Before starting she gets the housekeeping out of the way with a bit of good advice to the room, it’s going to get hot and you might want to peel off some layers. I find layering is very important at comedy festivals as a lot of the rooms are hot and stuffy. Turning phones off is a good idea too. No that’s just mandatory. Especially in a densely written show like this which requires concentration.

Shaken is part of a trilogy about Sarah Kendall’s teen years in Newcastle, two hours north of Sydney and about the magic of storytelling, the truth and lying. Its called The Australia Trilogy and the other two are called A Day in October and Touchdown. Each one is a fairly neat story of its own and some of the characters reappear.

Once the story proper gets underway there are no diversions from her very tight script and the audience is completely captivated. There are some laughs throughout, mostly from her hilarious impression of her quirky mother with whom she was very close in a fairly friendless teen-hood. It is unsurprising to learn that Sarah as a lonely child learned to “tell stories” to make people interested in her. This is one of those ‘stories’ that gets completely out of hand and more laughs are to be had from Sarah digging herself deeper and deeper into trouble.

I don’t like spoilers, so I didn’t read the blurb for this show, but it would certainly have changed the experience for me. The blurb mentions that the Newcastle earthquake is a backdrop for the story, though in fact the earthquake appears only right at the end as quite a shocking surprise, as earthquakes do. The blurb also mentioned overpriced sausages and there were none of these in the show, so maybe something was missing. It did feel a bit like there was something not quite right with the performance which felt too scripted and a little remote from the audience in the room, then at the end you had no way of knowing what was true and what was not.

As the elderly woman in front of me said as we left “It wasn’t exactly a laugh a minute, but it was interesting”. Sarah Kendall is a great storyteller with a great story to tell and if you are in the mood to listen to a riveting (possibly) biographical story being told to you at the comedy festival then this show is for you.

Sarah Kendall: Shaken is on at The Melbourne Town Hall until April 23

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2017/shows/sarah-kendall-shaken

Aunty Donna – Big Boys

By Elyce Phillips

The first time I reviewed Aunty Donna (Mark Samual Bonanno, Broden Kelly and Zachary Ruane) they were yelling about fax machines in a tiny room at the Lithuanian Club. It’s surreal to see them where they are now – playing to a packed audience of fervent fans at Max Watts with lights flashing, smoke machine whirring and music pumping. Big Boys is a slick production that’s equal parts sketch show and a night out clubbing.

There’s a thin thread of narrative running through Big Boys – Ruane hasn’t been putting in enough effort and Bonanno wants him to step up. In between the continuing argument, we see brief sketches about things that are happening right now, rap battles and a car race. At the back of the stage, Tom Armstrong pulls it all together, DJing and providing sound effects throughout.

Beneath the flashy set-up and showmanship is a strong base of fantastic sketches. Aunty Donna are at their best when they venture into absurd territory, peppering in beautifully bizarre details at the back-end of broader bits about drums or getting money to go see a movie. The writing is strong and the performances are well-rehearsed. Everything in this show works beautifully, even when things look like they’re not going to plan.

The audience adds a whole other dimension to an Aunty Donna show. The energy in the room is at a steady high and the boys clearly feed off of it. One of the best moments of the night was audience generated, when they spontaneously erupted into a standing ovation after Armstrong delivered his one line in the show.

No-one else does sketch comedy quite the way Aunty Donna do, and their originality is paying off. Big Boys is a joyously silly experience and a fine example of a new generation of live comedy. If you like your comedy loud and high-energy, Big Boys is the show for you.

Big Boys is on at Max Watts until April 23
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2017/shows/aunty-donna-big-boys

Frank Woodley – I, Woodley

By Lisa Clark

I’ve not seen or read I, Claudius, so this may have been the entire plot told in a clever way, but I doubt it. I do know that it is a historical fiction of Claudius Caesar who was wrongly considered by his family to be an idiot so there are clearly some parallels. The only direct reference to Roman times was a cute song about watching gladiators. It certainly pleased the crowd.

The show itself started a bit shakily, not unlike Frank’s clown persona. He seems to be struggling somewhat with his identity; how does he give the audience the persona they are expecting and still grow as a performer? The show gradually emerges and in amongst all the silly clowning absurdity, it actually felt very personal. Frank rarely gives much of his private life away in his comedy. In this he refers to his wife and child and also seeking therapy. He keeps it all light-hearted and doesn’t go down any dark holes, like many of his comedy peers this year, but there’s his anxiety. The voice in his brain is personified as a grumpy homeless man who does and says terrible things, but Frank is kind to him anyway.

I Woodley is a show about putting on a show, using his life for inspiration, trying it out on audiences with varying levels of success. Frank is an engaging storyteller and a genius mime, but the highlights for me were when he broke out of it to chat to audience members directly and particularly when he improvised funny material with them. It was like comedy magic. Not all comedians are comfortable talking to audience members, but Frank made it look like he genuinely enjoyed getting to know them and they enjoyed helping him with part of his show.

Frank needn’t be too nervous about ageing, as his comedy is ageless and his audience is made up of all ages. I, Woodley was not the most hilarious show that Frank has ever put on, more gentle laughs than heavy guffaws, but always goofy, charming and delightful. It was also a fascinating insight into the working mind of a master entertainer.

I, Woodley is on at The Fairfax Studio, Melbourne Arts Centre until April 16
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2017/shows/frank-woodley-i-woodley

Alice Snedden and Donna Brookbanks – Please Stop Clapping

By Elyce Phillips

Alice Snedden and Donna Brookbanks have had some success in the world of improv, both performing with New Zealand improv group Snort. In Please Stop Clapping, Snedden and Brookbanks split the bill, each performing a set of stand-up. It’s a promising hour of comedy, with some real gems but also some room for improvement.

First up is Snedden, who is bold and confident in her stage presence and launches right into material about her boobs. The audience is a little hesitant at first, but they soon get on-board as Snedden continues on to talk about her quirky family and odd upbringing. Here, Snedden is in her element, and her material about her mother is a real stand-out. Snedden delivers her jokes with a likeable looseness that wins you over. It’s a good first half that leaves the audience ready for more.

Brookbanks takes over for the second half, and brings a different energy to the room. Her stand-up is frenetic and anxiety-filled, talking about the struggles of being single and the difficulties of going to parties. The jokes are well-delivered, but the perspective is not a unique one. Brookbanks’ desperate-for-a-boyfriend routine goes down an often-travelled path and while there is some fun to be had with this nervous persona, it’s not pushed hard enough to shine through as a strong piece of character comedy.

Snedden and Brookbanks get some great laughs in Please Stop Clapping and it is clear that both are talented comedians, however, both have some work to do to refine their comedic voices. The high points in this show prove that Snedden and Brookbanks have a lot of promise, and it won’t be long until they’re smashing it out of the park.

Alice Snedden and Donna Brookbanks – Please Stop Clapping is on at the Victoria Hotel Acacia room until April 23
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2017/shows/please-stop-clapping