Melbourne International Comedy Festival – Page 121

Wolf Tokyo Club At Rehearsal

By Colin Flaherty

Wolf Tokyo Club are a struggling band trying to get through a rehearsal. As much as Anton wants to get through a single take of his new love song, the others would rather be talking about or doing something else. Ahh…the joys of working with bunch of dysfunctional people on a project!

For a show about a band the music certainly took a backseat to the story. All seemed competent on their instruments but as soon as a groove started, things would hilariously fall apart which was fine as we got to learn more about this group of loveable misfits and see the comical sparks fly.

On paper, 45 minutes of some guys bickering with each other may seem like it would get tiresome quickly, but the wonderful script certainly prevented this. Not only were there plenty of clever and amusing distractions to keep derailing the rehearsal but some interesting sub-plots were introduced to keep the animosity bubbling away throughout. We got to chuckle at some inane conversations that musicians probably have to endure as well as marvel at a unique method of identifying notes. The various methods of procrastination led to many amusing lines to keep the laughs rolling along.

It was interesting to see how they managed to shoehorn the usual character traits that are normally associated with a comedic trio into this four person (with a small fifth role by Shane Matheson) performance. Your Alpha male guitarist Anton (Seamus McAlary) played the role of straight-man perfectly while cool guy drummer Fudgy (Eric Hutton) was a constant source of hilarious disruption. The dim character was split between the seemingly stupid bassist Matty (Rodney Todd) and the extremely slow-witted keyboard player Ethan (Todd Allen) which worked brilliantly. You got some smarts beneath the surface of Matty (in between going off on many a hilarious tangent) to make him a threat to Anton leaving Ethan, in his permanently stoned stupor, to be totally clueless.

I’m still trying to get my head around the conclusion to this play. Following what would be the final punchline of the story they immediately launched into a post-script that was quite surreal. It certainly tied up the main sub plot neatly but it was quite a shock after the relative normalcy that had preceded it. Perhaps this wacky curveball was influenced by Matheson? Despite leaving the venue slightly confused, it was a satisfying and hilarious play performed by some of Sydney’s great underground comedic talent.

Wolf Tokyo Club At Rehearsal is on at the Tuxedo Cat until April 7
For Bookings & information go to the MICF website:
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2015/season/shows/at-rehearsal-wolf-tokyo-club

Alice Fraser : Savage

By Lisa Clark

Alice has been going through a rough time. The sort of time that might make some people want to withdraw to a quiet place for a while and not have to entertain a bunch of strangers for a month but the show must go on and Alice is a trooper. A born entertainer who’s managed to rustle up an impressive show that she admits wasn’t quite what she planned when she made her Festival application.

Australia is blessed with comedians who appeal to all levels of taste and sophistication and Alice is definitely at the intellectual end. At its heart is a talk she gave for TEDx, but her themes and ideas are universal. What is love, belief, tragedy, truth and beauty and can we explore them while laughing at how absurd it can all be? There is also the story that surrounds her whole TEDx experience which is hilarious in itself.

Alice is skilled in transforming her densely written piece into a conversation with the audience. And it is a conversation, there is space for the audience to express themselves providing entertaining feedback, recognition and sing-alongs. Yes, Sing-alongs. Alice plays some cute songs on her trusty talking banjo which is an unexpected delight. There are also engrossing stories, delightful observations, dating advice, threaded through with a pre-recorded interview and peppered with excellent gags. She is in turns hilarious, charming, moving, gently sarcastic, silly and always a warm presence in the intimate space.

For a show put together under duress, there are a lot of laughs to be had. There are also a few tears so you might want to remember the tissues. It is quite an ambitious show that while entertaining as it is, it would be extra awesome with a decent sound and a tech rather than just her laptop. Alice gives her audience the best show she can and proves that she is a household name in the making. Go and see her so you can say ‘I saw her when’ and help get her moved to the bigger, better equipped room she deserves to be in.

Savage is on at The Downstairs Lounge @ The Grand Mercure Hotel until April 19
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2015/season/shows/savage-alice-fraser

5 Good Reasons to see Jen Carnovale : Give Us A Smile

1. It’s Jens first ever solo show in Melbourne and if you believe what these smart (super smart) people have to say, you should probably buy tickets.

‘Perfect Timing’ -Funny Women UK

‘Brilliant’ – Comedy Estonia

‘You’re a chick’ – Brilliant Mind from Newcastle

2. It’s on at 7:15pm at the Trades Hall, see this show and you can tick the ‘let’s do something different’ box for the year.

3. This show will reignite the spark in your relationship and make you seem insanely attractive to whom ever you desire.

4. I promise not to talk about my junk.

5. I will talk about travel, jobs, boob doctors and more.

Give Us A Smile is on at Trades Hall until April 5
For Bookings & information go to the MICF website:
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2015/season/shows/give-us-a-smile-jen-carnovale

5 Good Reasons to see Tune Your Own Adventure

1. Each show is a completely improvised musical, that no one else will ever see again!

2. You can bring your kids. Tune Your Own Adventure is totally family friendly!

3. It’s cheap! A whole family can enjoy the show for under $50 – something you can’t say for a trip to Luna Park…

4. You get to decide how the story goes!

5. There may or may not be a vampire…

Tune Your Own Adventure is on at the Supper Room of the Melbourne Town Hall until April 12
For Bookings & information go to the MICF website:
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2015/season/shows/tune-your-own-adventure-impromptunes

5 Good Reasons to see Dave Bloustien: The Tinder Profile of Dorian Gray

1 The feeling of your lips forming a moue of annoyance at yet another show about Tinder, softening into intrigue as you realise it’s not about Tinder at all.

2 The flaring of your nostrils as you hear about a band Dave loved as a teenager, ravaged by time and misadventure.

3 The chills along your spine as Dave describes his fading significance as the single dad of a 7 year old Goth.

4 The tremble in the corner of your eye as Dave relates his brush with a potential STI.

5 The quickening of your pulse as Dave describes the most romantic first date of all time. Or possibly gets Catfished, and tasered on a beach somewhere.

Dave Bloustien performs The Tinder Profile of Dorian Gray The Upstairs Lounge @ Little Sista
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2015/season/shows/the-tinder-profile-of-dorian-gray-dave-bloustien

Snort With Friends

By Hannah Frazer

Walking into a dark room not knowing what is about to happen in front of you is scary, but sitting in the front row while it all unfolds is terrifying. This is not the case when you are in the company of the SNORT family though. From the get go the cast, which this particular evening consisted of (Eli Matthewson (MC), Nic Sampson, Donna Brookbanks, Guy Montgomery, Chris Parker, Laura Daniel, Rose Matafeo and Joseph Moore) relax you into their show, making you feel as though the words they are given, like some sort of magnificent, magical spell had been planted in your minds, and they had actually been practising the material for months. If you didn’t know it was improv, you wouldn’t know it was improv.

The show separated into 3 monologues and 3 sets. A nervous audience member will throw them a singular word and then you just sit back, relax and watch their minds explore the possibilities. They are miraculously able to bring life, colour and madness to the stage where just seconds before there was nothing. You see them delve into their subconscious to source personal anecdotes, stories and crazy characters at the drop of a hat. It really is something to behold.

All seasoned pro’s with their regular Friday night gig at ‘The Basement’ back in their homeland. As well as some having their own solo shows at the festival, they didn’t let the smaller than usual audience discourage them. The intimate nature of the night although not ideal didn’t diminish the size or scale of the laughs they received. All inherently quick thinkers, leaving the audience two steps behind and always delightfully surprised with where they would go next.

The comradely and mutual admiration of each other evident. Laughing and supporting one another when on the sidelines, seamlessly bouncing off one another or coming in to challenge and keep things interesting. You are able to sneak a glimpse into each of their uninhabited, wild and remarkable quick thinking minds and as the audience, we reap all the benefits of their madness.

Unlike a phone throwing Crowe, these are some New Zealander’s that we would be happy to claim as our own. This show only lasts until the 5th April, so make sure you don’t miss these honorary Aussies at the 6pm (6.15 Sunday) at the Portland Hotel.

http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2015/season/shows/with-friends-snort