Category: Reviews

Stella Young in Tales from the Crip

By Lisa Clark

Stella Young has been doing standup spots for a few years now, I saw her early on when she was still finding her feet and several times after that. Then a few months ago I saw her kill at a political comedy night, she was holding the room in the palm of her hand, and was clearly the best performer amongst a very highly skilled group. I knew she was ready for her own festival how. She didn’t let me or the rest of her audience down.

The title itself seems fairly provocative but as Stella points out there is no descriptor for her position lacking in some sort of loaded, negative subtext. Crip (short for cripple) sounds like a cool gangsta name to her and if you’ve got a problem with that, then maybe this is not the show for you but Stella couldn’t care less. She has a lot of fun with language, especially poking fun at ‘politically correct’ language and people trying so hard to be inoffensive but winding up sounding the exact opposite. There is also quite a bit of fruity language threading its way through her tales and one-liners. This is not a show for kids or the easily offended. Stella touches on all the subjects you’re supposed to avoid at polite dinner parties; politics, religion and sex.

The jokes flew pretty constantly and the laughs rolled along non-stop. Stella’s humour is possibly even drier than Judith Lucy’s (which is saying something). She’s cynical, sardonic and delightfully charming. Her Oscar Pistorious gear got a little dark (in a brilliant way) but then she gave us some very insightful stories about the Olympics, including being in London for the Paralympics. A highlight was reading through a hilariously inept children’s book teaching children about disabled kids which took her into various routines and helped break up the show from straight standup. We also learn quite a lot about her life, some of which is fairly unique but some, like having an embarrassing mum, we can all relate to.

Having a director’s outside view and experience help with a show can take it from a lot of well written comedy to a well rounded performance and Nelly Thomas’ direction has no doubt helped in this way.  This is an exceptional debut and I’m not surprised to see that she’s already scored some work on the Agony series on the ABC. Stella may be utilising her comedic skills as a political tool to make people more comfortable around crips, but more than anything else, she is definitely a brilliant comedian.

Tales from the Crip is playing alternate nights at Northcote Town Hall until April 20. There will be an Auslan interpreter Wed 9 & Fri 11 April shows
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2014/season/shows/tales-from-the-crip-stella-young-in

Public Toilets, Private Words

By Colin Flaherty

Based upon graffiti found in various public conveniences, Public Toilets Private Words was a wickedly lewd and crude cabaret show starring Caitlin Armstrong, Aloise Maree and Thomas Albert. We experienced all manner of deviancy at a throbbing nightclub, a tango based argument about whether humans have always been obsessed with sex, a discussion on the famous people who had died on the can and the Roman Empire leaving their dodgy exploits chiselled onto the walls of the bathhouses.

Parts of the show felt like a musical form of verbatim theatre where examples of the found text were used as humorous lines in the songs. This proved to be a mixed bag in terms of comedic success. Other items had the theme shoehorned in rather tenuously, an example being the French love affair skit that used graffiti to limply resolve the story. Some very serious monologues, one about Ground Zero in New York and another about the transgender restroom conundrum, were clearly out of place in this comedic cabaret show, but that fact was used in some humorous self-referential banter. At one stage, the cast asked the crowd if a philosophical musing about the nature of graffiti strayed too far into wank (the answer by the generous audience was “not really”).

The trio adopted the stereotypical tropes associated with many a musical threesome with Maree as the dim one, Albert the sensible one playing the musical instruments and Armstrong the dangerous rebel. Each suited these roles perfectly. All the cast brought plenty of zaniness to their roles; mugging it up at every opportunity, dancing up a storm and belting out the songs to sell every line. Especially impressive was Armstrong with her wild-eyed exaggerated rage. The big dance finale proved that this trio certainly weren’t afraid to look silly for the sake of a laugh.

The set was ingenious with chairs adorned by toilet seats being a major fixture. Mobile partitions that originally started out as a set of cubicle walls were used to transform the set as required.

This was fun hour that explored plenty of crude ideas; understandable considering that 95% of the graffiti found during research for the show was sexual in nature. Those not too squeamish or prudish will have a whale of a time.

Public Toilets, Private Words is on at La Mama until April 13
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2014/season/shows/public-toilets-private-words

Jason Geary & Jimmy James Eaton : Sketch-ageddon

By Elyce Phillips

There’s aliens, orphans and even a little magic – Sketch-ageddon is an action-packed hour of doom and sketch comedy. Jason Geary and Jimmy James Eaton have teamed up once again, following the success of last year’s Sketchual Healing, and if their show’s opening music is anything to go by, they still have a large quantity of sketch-related puns in supply.

Eaton and Geary have a wonderful comedic relationship and are both well-practiced at playing a wide variety of characters. The sketches are really well-balanced. There are insanely high-energy moments, like Geary’s bursts of questionable magic. There are comparatively quiet moments of domestic ridiculousness, where we witness the relationship between an alien overlord and his mother. A short mimed tale about two brothers growing up was surprisingly touching. All of the sketches flow beautifully thanks to the story of destruction weaved throughout.

Eaton and Geary accomplish a lot with minimal fuss. Their use of props is sparse, setting up most of their scenes with nothing more than a bit of music. This keeps the show fast-paced and very physical. The whole thing is super slick. Ben Russell has done a great job as director, helping to create a show that feels incredibly natural, but is tightly composed.

The seemingly endless energy of Eaton and Geary is really impressive, especially considering that both of these guys have multiple shows this year – Festival legend has it that Eaton is in seven different shows, which deserves some sort of trophy or finely-laminated certificate if it’s true. They both get a chance to show-off the full gamut of their talents. There’s singing, dancing and impressions. Geary’s Christopher Walken is on-point, and Eaton’s John Travolta is hilarious, baffling and weirdly time-specific.

The only quibbles on the night were venue-related, rather than any fault with the performance itself. The show got started 10 minutes late, meaning there was a trickle of audience members scrambling to get out towards the end, presumably to make it to their next act. It was an unwelcome distraction from an otherwise brilliant finale. Hopefully this was due to an off night and isn’t indicative of the run in general – but maybe leave some room between shows, just in case.

Sketch-ageddon is an epic tale of death and destruction, told in bite-sized nuggets of hilarity. Eaton and Geary are a perfect comedy pairing and not something to be missed.

Sketch-ageddon is on at the Imperial Hotel until April 20
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2014/season/shows/sketch-ageddon-jason-geary-jimmy-james-eaton

The Little Dum Dum Club Live Podcasts!

By Jayden Edwards

A month long extravaganza of live dickheadery kicked off Sunday night as everybody’s favourite podcasters, Karl and Tommy, presented the first of four Live The Little Dum Dum Club recordings from the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

For those not in the know, The Little Dum Dum Club is one of Australia’s longest running and most popular podcasts presented by comedians and mates Tommy Dassalo and Karl Chandler. The show, normally recorded at Tommy or Karl’s place, usually involves a bit of daily life material from the boys before welcoming one or two comedian guests in to… well, talk shit for an hour or so. Whether the boys know their guest personally or not, the vibe is always a loose comedic love-in that feels so inclusive that you’ll think you know the whole gang. And none of this is lost at the live shows, in fact it’s intensified.

For their first 2014 live show, die-hard fans and some bewildered newcomers crammed into a cosy room at Five Boroughs Bar to witness what can only be described as no holds barred chat mayhem. After some familiarities, and a sing along for birthday boy Karl Chandler (who demanded Mousse, and got it), Karl and Tommy welcomed first guest, token “Stupid American” Kyle Kinane. Lawrence Mooney and Charlie Pickering soon followed. The three were welcomed one by one, each getting their time to shine, but it’s when everyone’s in the fold that things really fire up.

The gang spiral into a spectrum of rude, crude and wonderfully offensive topics like suicide, bigotry, pretend Chinese, MH370 and air-crash investigations (Mooney the slightly hungover instigator of this decent into chaos). If this stuff was on the radio there’d be lawyers involved, though Pickering does provide a bit of a moral conscience in this sea of debauchery.

Whilst things seem chaotic, Karl and Tommy always have a handle on things. Tossed in with the general chatter are a few prepared topics and questions, some audience tales from the room or via social media and even a call from Dave O’Neil, all stuff that keeps things running nicely yet never feel rushed or cut off. Any risk of that inclusive, relaxed vibe being stunned by a live audience is dissolved with Tommy and Karl’s masterful crowd work and stage presence; some pretty relaxed and experienced guests doesn’t hurt either.

If you’re a fan of the Dum Dum Club, you have to get down and catch it in all it’s live glory, you’ll feel even more part of the gang, but if you’re easy offended and like your comedy a bit more high-brow, membership might come a little harder.

The Little Dum Dum Club is on at Five Boroughs until April 20
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2014/season/shows/live-podcasts-the-little-dum-dum-club

Matt Okine : Happiness Not Included

By Colin Flaherty

Matt Okine has risen in profile as of late (he’s on JJJ Breakfast, co-hosts ThursdayFC and was on the debut episode of Stand Up @ Bella Union) and after hearing of the acclaim of previous shows and only seeing his short spots, I was curious as to what an hour in his company would be like. The experience can be described in one word – impressive.

Starting out with some gentle banter and various observational routines, he covered topics such as his small role in Neighbours, travelling to the UK, his hatred of clothes shopping and share-house living. Aside from the TV credit, they were rather standard subjects but his colourful descriptions and big stage presence were more than enough keep all interested and laughing heartily. On the surface it appeared to be just a series of random topics save for the frequent exclamations of “I’ve gotta get my life in check!” to link them to the shows’ theme of striving for happiness and how limited finances can create a barrier.

As he reached his climatic story about a messy night at a nightclub to celebrate a well paying job, all the pieces fell into place. Topics covered previously popped up in this story, not just as token call-backs but also some integral parts of the tale giving plenty of context and gravitas. Okine had obviously revised this show to within an inch of its life to ensure that every word had its exact place. This attention to detail paid off with consistent laughter in all the right places.

On stage Okine is thoroughly engaging and energetic. His conversational put everyone at ease and the concepts were universal enough for all to relate. With tricks such as repeating core statements with exaggerated indignation to extract every possible laugh from the line, he had the audience howling throughout. It was almost a masterclass in how themed stand-up should be done.

Happiness Not Included is on at Swiss Club and Melb Town Hall until April 20
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2014/season/shows/happiness-not-included-matt-okine

David O’Doherty Will Try To Fix Everything

By James Shackell

Now that’s an ambitious show title. And although O’Doherty admits, on one of his trademark whimsical ramblings, that world-peace and the solutions to life’s inherent mysteries are probably beyond the powers of a 38 year-old man and his keyboard, we don’t begrudge him some lofty ambitions. For God’s sakes, this is the man with Very Mild Super Powers, the DOD, the D-Dog, official leader and spiritual focal point of Team O’Doherty.

Yep, it’s fair to say that O’Doherty’s trademark “Very Low Energy Musical Whimsy” has built around it a certain professional mystique over the years. At one point during the show he even asks the audience for any requests of their favourite DOD tunes. For a comedian, that’s gangster.

One of the festival stalwarts, O’Doherty is not your typical Irish comedian. For those that haven’t had the pleasure, he resembles a bearded man-child that, depending on the context or the lighting, could either be a hat-less Steven Spielberg or a friendly, loveable vagrant. He’s got that lilting accent that makes things automatically 20% funnier, but if you can keep up with the scatter-brained rapid-fire delivery of his monologues, there’s some serious smarts going on too.

O’Doherty’s style is lamentation and observation in one; there’s that ‘But why Me?’ undercurrent on which we, as the audience, love to bob along. And hearing him wax lyrical about Lance Armstong’s drug betrayal (he’s taking it personally), getting his bike set on fire during a gig (“How do you even set a bike on fire?”) and the essential wankery of the people on Grand Designs, all while hammering the poor keys of his Yamaha keyboard like some demented organist, is nothing less than pure comedy gold.

David O’Doherty Will Try To Fix Everything is on at the Forum Theatre – Upstairs until April 20
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2014/season/shows/will-try-to-fix-everything-david-o-doherty