Melbourne International Comedy Festival – Page 122

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

Lawrence Mooney – Surely Not

By Noel Kelso

I had never heard of Lawrence Mooney until I moved to Melbourne, which is a shame because I had clearly missed-out on a very funny comedian.

His latest show ‘Surely Not’ is a comedic rumination on all things familial prompted by the demise of a relative back in the UK. This mournful event is the catalyst for a world-crossing journey with his two brothers and prompts a lot of thoughts on the nature of life and death and family relationships, from which Mooney manages to extract a surprising amount of comedy and a healthy dose of pathos.

If you are as much a comedy tragic as myself and go to any of the billions (I counted) of regular comedy rooms which pepper the streets of this city then you will no-doubt have encountered Mooney’s friendly and convivial style of banter many times over. And it’s still funny.

Mooney has been performing on the circuit for twenty years and continues to make people laugh uproariously with his droll observational routines and scathing commentaries on politics and celebrity.

His ability to engage an audience no matter the size is testament to this man’s skills as a storyteller and comedian. Through subtle use of facial expressions and changes in stance he can have people simply incapacitated with laughter through the recognition of the situation being projected through the absurd lens of his world-view.

He talks about travelling to Liverpool to sort the estate of his deceased uncle with his two elder brothers and how the sibling hierarchy established when they were all children still holds sway even though they are in their fifties. This provides ample opportunity for his keen skill for mimicry as he delivers lines in a credible scouse accent.

There is talk of how each child has their place determined by the order in which they arrive and of the strange quirks which well-meaning parents pass-on and can be humiliating when at school. This is a journey through life and the strange little bits early on which can affect you forever and it had the audience in stitches from start to finish.

As a comic, Mooney has a very polished performance style. He is clearly at home on stage and betrays none of the nerves which would beset anyone performing to the large crowds who attend his shows. His ease of delivery when he utters each line has the effect of making the audience give him their complete attention even as they wipe the tears of laughter away from the last comedic jab.

The evening concludes on a touching note with a lovely tribute to his uncle which he and his brothers organised and recorded whilst in Liverpool as a mark of respect.

This is an excellent night out with plenty of laughs and pointed remarks on the nature of family, emotional coping mechanisms and his relief at not having to re-write the show if Tony Abbott had been sacked. All seamlessly connected through laughter.

Lawrence Mooney – Surely Not is playing at The Forum Theatre, Flinders Street until April 5th and then at Melbourne Town Hall from April 14th until 19th.
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2015/season/shows/surely-not-lawrence-mooney

5 good reasons to see Paco Erhard: Worst. German. Ever.

1 As a silly foreigner, I get to make jokes about Aussie society you yourself would never get away with, from the nanny state to the “Fahkin’ Straya” brigade… I’m foreign, I just don’t know any better!! Plus I’m German, so I don’t beat around the bush –“Vhat do you mean, offensive? It’s ze truth!!” So grab a beer and let me put some sacred cows on the barbie…

2 The Adelaide Advertiser says I’m “hilarious, educated, political, smutty and genius… he f***ing rocks at comedy!” I know, I know, I’m disgusted myself. But hey, if even South Australians manage to get excited about something… 🙂

3 Last chance to see!! Berlin wants me, baby! A big promoter in Berlin made me an offer I couldn’t refuse, and from July on it’s mainly comedy in German for me (yes, I know, oxymoron, whatever, shut up!!). So: This could be the last time you get to see me in English for quite a while. Let’s go out with a bang together!!

4 Let’s trade: you bring your friends to my show and I make my German and British fans vote for Australia at the Eurovision. Go on! Just picture our little European faces when Australia win and we have to watch next year’s Eurovision live from Melbourne at 4 in the morning… priceless!!

5 Because you love some mischief in your comedy, you want provocation within the hilarity, you like being stimulated while you laugh, you love thinking (and living) outside the box. If that’s you, then Reason #5 to see my show is simple: you will laugh your heart out and you’ll love my show.

Paco Erhard performs Worst. German. Ever at The Downstairs Lounge @ The Grand Mercure

For Bookings & information go to the MICF website:

http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2015/season/shows/worst-german-ever-paco-erhard

Anne Edmonds You Know What I’m Like!

By Hannah Frazer

Honest and Hilarious Anne Edmonds brings big laughs from the moment she steps out on stage. The effortlessly funny lady reels you in immediately with her easily relatable stories, down to earth personality and her very well received pelvic thrusting.

From the trials and vomit riddled tribulations of early morning travel, when leaving for a family holiday New Year’s Day, to religion, her opinions on atheism and her catholic Middle Class Essendon upbringing. Edmonds doesn’t hold back with her eccentric and refreshingly honest show.

Bringing her stories to life with disturbing accurate characterisations and ending with lyrically moving banjo playing. Naturally and effortlessly linking stories and characters throughout. Edmonds kooky, lovable and unique comedy style is the reason for her growing fan base. You are even treated to a last minute special appearance and performance by ‘Pig Girl’. Something that should be missed by no one.

Not shying away from admitting that life can be far from perfect, the theme of sadness resonates throughout the show. Edmonds not seeking out reassurance or sympathy from the crowd, she simply admits to imperfection and how we are all together in sadness as we are in happiness and joy. As these are states and parts of life that none can avoid.

The reason you won’t be able to control your overwhelming feelings of like and love for Eddo is because she is not just a comedian on stage telling hilarious jokes. She is a comedian on stage telling your stories and making you laugh at yourself. She perfectly reflects the majority and how they will rarely admit openly to being.

The only negative thing that comes from seeing Anne’s show is that you want to leave AS Anne, and well it’s unfortunately just not scientifically sound. Get in quick for her run at this year’s festival before anyone else finds out about her and the opportunity is gone for good.

Anne Edmonds You Know What I’m Like! is playing at Melb Town Hall – Portico Room

For Bookings and information see the MICF website:

http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2015/season/shows/you-know-what-i-m-like-anne-edmonds

Michael Workman – We Have Fun Don’t We?

By Noel Kelso

Michael Workman doesn’t do ‘traditional’ stand-up. His shows have an interesting part-narrative, part-stand-up structure broken into sections through stage lighting cues. Previous shows have tackled subjects such as Cuban dissidents and oddball characters in small town Australia, both containing a potent mixture of comedic hilarity and poignant storytelling. ‘We have Fun, Don’t We?’ follows this pattern beautifully.

This is another personal tale from Workman regarding the break-up of a relationship with a woman he truly loved and the drunken chaos which briefly followed and it is a testament to the man’s skills as a storyteller and comedian that I was not reaching for the razor after five minutes.

Comedic storytelling is a tricky genre to master – balancing the nuances of narrative with the necessary punch of stand-up, and Michael Workman has been navigating that narrow line successfully for the best part of a decade. His deadpan delivery, soft tones and expressive face allow him to deliver stinging punchlines and thoughtful musings on life and death with equally forceful impact.

His evocative and detailed descriptions transport the audience to the very places and events about which he is speaking and one finds oneself laughing at the tiny incidental details in addition to the big punchlines. One of my favourite lines involved the scathing description of a well-meaning child’s gift as a ‘macaroni fiasco’ – a phrase which I am sure I shall be trying to use indiscriminately whenever I can.

This show is full of beautiful little moments such as the running metaphor of life as a snowglobe and all of the interesting parts occurring when it gets shaken-up rather than the safety and dullness of stability and settling.

Workman isn’t afraid to take his audience to the darker places in his comedy and stories and alternates between the absurd humour of deciding that his parents wanted him to literally name the time at which he would lurch home at an ungodly hour as a drunken teenager, contrasted with the desperation of a broken man at the end of a relationship trying to find comfort and solace in all of the wrong places.

The issue of body image is one not usually covered by male comedians, but here Workman wrings it for as much comedy and pathos as he can and juxtaposes it with talk of shameful trips to a certain deep-fried poultry establishment to drown his sadness in grease.

Clearly Michael Workman is not your average comedian and this is a good thing. Yes – the job of a comedian is to make one laugh, and Workman manages that with tremendous ease; but good comedy should also make one think and this is Workman’s real talent. He has the ability to take quite downbeat subject matter – the kind of things we would rather not talk about such as death, loss, heartbreak – and fashions them into beautiful creations which force the audience to approach the subjects in a fresh, comedic light.

Yet again, Michael Workman has produced a show which is well-crafted, thought-provoking and laugh-out-loud funny.

We Have Fun Don’t We? is playing at the Victoria Hotel, Little Collins Street until April 19th.
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2015/season/shows/we-have-fun-don-t-we-michael-workman