1. Award-winning, hilarious comic DeAnne Smith has flown all the way from Canada to entertain you! You don’t want her to have increased her carbon footprint by so much for nothing, right?
2. Award-winning, hilarious comic DeAnne Smith only comes to Australia every other year! So, if you or she dies before 2019 (and let’s be real, doesn’t nuclear holocaust feel imminent?) this is your LAST CHANCE.
3. Award-winning, hilarious comic DeAnne Smith is spelling out reasons you should see my– I mean, her– show which, to be honest, should be an indication to you that she could stand to sell a few more tickets.
4. Award-winning, hilarious comic DeAnne Smith has heard that people need to see something seven times to be swayed by it. She never read the marketing study positing this, but at least seven people told her about it so it must be true.
5. Award-winning, hilarious comic DeAnne Smith is a hilarious comic who has won
awards. For comedy.
1. When Melbourne’s biggest drug dealer is also Australia’s favourite stand-up comedian, two cops will take on the comedy festival by going undercover as comedians – but they’ll have to get funny pretty damn quick.
2. You’ve probably seen this scum bucket* on stage and laughed at their scum bucket jokes… even though they’re super great! But we’ll see who’s laughing when we reveal their scummy double life, using some ‘by the book’ police work.
3. We are NOT COPS! Stop asking! We are funny comedians doing a show. Okay!
*They are actually a really really really really really nice and decent human being.
4. Move along, nothing to see here! Except the show. Go see the show, that’s an order!
5. Undercover Festival Cops starring Chris Martin and Taylor Edwards opens Monday 12th April and goes til Saturday 22nd April (No shows Easter long weekend) at Tasma Terrace.
Taylor Edwards and Chris Martin perform Undercover Festival Cops at Tasma Terrace
The 2017 Melbourne International Comedy Festival is back bigger than ever and the Squirrels are here to help you chose which shows to spend your money and time on. There are shows that we have already seen and also some intriguing shows that have piqued our interest.
PREVIOUSLY REVIEWED
A number of MICF shows have run prior to the festival and we have already reviewed some of these. We’ll give the usual disclaimer that Festival shows are ever evolving beasts, so the show’s we have covered may have undergone changes (hopefully for the better!) since we saw them.
This is the first ever live version of Andy Zaltzman’s podcast. It promises live guests, people on screens, freshly-hewn satire, lies, puns and high-grade bullshit. Sounds like tonnes of fun. (You can see his own standup show too, sold separately)
The last time Daniel performed here in 2015 it was with his astonishing, gorgeous, experimental play Polyphony. It involved 20 pre-recorded characters (played by actors and comedians) on MP3players being played by audience members. I was lucky enough to see it towards the end of the run, on a night when it all ran beautifully and it blew my mind. If audience participation was the comedy trend, Daniel fashioned it into couture art. We’ve missed out on a lot of his finished shows in Melbourne over the past ten years but he’s making up for it by giving us Three types of Kitson, including a filmed show we never got to see.
1.Stories For The Starlit Sky with Gavin Osbourne
Actually 3 plays in one (of his 3 shows). It will be long, why not bring a packed lunch? 3 of his delightful heartwarming and funny stories from Daniel with Gavin on the Guitar.
Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne – 2nd to 23rd April
(Various Dates and Times) https://goo.gl/AVrCLX
2.Not Yet But Soon – A Work in Progress Stand up Show.
Well its another work in Progress, but having done it in Sydney before Melbourne it should be fairly well formed. An hour and a half, but knowing Daniel probably longer. Its mostly on late too, 10 pm so have a little nap during the day.
Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne – March 30th to April 16th(Various dates and times)- https://goo.gl/bry3Tv
3.It’s Always Right Now Until It’s Later – On Film
A 7 year old show we never got to see in Australia, but here it is preserved forever on film and Daniel will be there to introduce it.
A comedy night for charity produced by our own Erin Davidson and we can promise you she has organised a cracker of a lineup. Names she cannot name, but some of the top names in Australian comedy and this may be the only place during the festival you get to see some of them. Also you get to laugh for a good cause.
Josh has hooked up with Daniel from Die Roten Punkte and they promise famous guest stars in this mini comedy music festival. I’ve had a bit of a taste of this one and it has got my mouth watering for more.
Michael Williams: Escape from a 90s Educational CD-ROM!
One of the recipients of this year’s Moosehead Grants, you can always be rely upon Williams to present an inventive and hilarious show. Last year he was one of our favourites, with the added Moosehead creative seal of approval, this is sure to be a doozy!
Hero Complex was the Talk of Melbourne Fringe and the talk was: “Have you Seen it? You HAVE TO SEE IT!!!” We were so glad we did. It won Best Comedy Show at Melbourne Fringe 2016 and has just won the first Weekly Award for comedy at Adelaide Fringe 2017. It is side achingly hilarious, and face hurtingly joyous. It’s better to go in knowing as little as possible; yes it is about Sammy J’s love for The Phantom but also about much, much more.
Five audience members – in one caravan – with three spiteful old grannies – for 15 minutes. These terrifying characters by Thomas Jaspers, Kyle Minall and Scott Brennan will be more so in such close quarters and sure to be hilarious.
After scaring the stuffing out of laughing audiences at the Old Melbourne Gaol during the 2015 Melbourne Fringe, Watson (Adam McKenzie, Liam Ryan and Tegan Higginbotham) return with a show of frights and laughs. Another Moosehead recipent so expectations are high.
