Adam Knox – Page 2 – Squirrel Comedy

A Brief History of Comedy

By Colin Flaherty

Adam Knox, Ben Vernel and Timothy Clark have created a sketch show that takes the topics of comedy and history and smashes them together. The resultant rubble was a sometimes clever but often just plain silly hour of lunacy.

Sketches ranged from meta discussions of humour to twisted historical examples of jokes to current events given a darkly comedic treatment to scenes set in the past with a passing whiff of humour tropes. Some particularly clever ideas looked at humour from an almost alien perspective and used wordplay to fantastic effect. The scenes came thick and fast with some witty linking material holding it together.

On the whole this was a blunt kind of humour that didn’t shy away from using broad stereotypes and touchy subjects to get laughs. The fourth wall was regularly demolished while every imaginable comedic trope was held up to ridicule. Historical facts usually took a back seat to the jokes and merely provided a convenient setting for the sketches.

In any other sketch show the rough nature of the performance would be seen as a failure but this show revelled in this kind of anarchy. Things were seemingly always in danger of falling apart and there was a nice story arc of sorts where the performers comically lost control of proceedings.

Several of the sketches were a little long and the punchlines could be telegraphed quite early but this was probably by design. They were clearly trying to milk every piece of over acting and knowing glance at the audience for as many laughs as possible but it came dangerously close to needless self-indulgence. Nonetheless it was hard not to get swept up in the chaotic spirit of the show and find yourself regularly in fits of laughter.

The chemistry within the trio was wonderful with Clark regularly playing the fool on stage and Vernel the straight man. Knox’s tinkling of the ivories was an unexpected treat. The music that he played didn’t exactly provide humour but fitted in with the scenes perfectly.

This was a brilliant hour of sketch that combined enough smarts to satisfy the comedy nerds in the audience with plenty of base humour the keep everyone else chuckling. You won’t learn much but you’ll have a great time doing so.

A Brief History of Comedy is on at The Imperial Hotel at 7pm until September 28

http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/a-brief-history-of-comedy/

People Crying “Adam Knox” As They Leap From Planes

By Elyce Phillips

Going into this show, I had no idea what to expect. I hadn’t seen Adam Knox perform before, and his Festival Guide entry keeps it short and sweet. All I knew was that Knox’s show has the best title I have seen in a long time. People Crying “Adam Knox” As They Leap From Planes is all about Knox’s desire to be remembered. Over the course of the show Knox explores different ways to continue in the public memory after death and takes a good hard look at why anyone would want to be remembered anyway.

Knox’s choice of theme is clever. Discussing ways to be remembered allows to him to touch upon a wide range of topics – religion, politics, TV – while still maintaining a cohesive show. Thematically, there’s nothing revolutionary here, but the jokes feel fresh and original. Knox’s observational humour is witty and relatable, even when the observing is limited to the eccentricities of his tiny apartment. In fact, the more specific to his life the material, the stronger it was – a bracket about a truly disgusting share house played wonderfully. The show is well-honed and consistently funny. Knox is aware of the jokes that don’t land so strongly and has devised interesting ways to perk them up. A particularly lame joke that he hypes up as being ‘the greatest joke ever’ is actually one of the highlights of the performance.

Knox is an engaging performer. He’s confident in his delivery and appears completely at ease in front of the audience, aside from the occasional referral to his pocket notebook. Personally, I didn’t find these moments too distracting but he did start to lose the crowd when he flipped through for that second too long. However, when Knox in his groove, he’s the sort of performer that makes it look all too easy and, for the most part, this is the performer we got to see.

People Crying “Adam Knox” As They Leap From Planes is a strong show from an up-and-coming comedian. If Knox continues at this pace, he is sure to be remembered.

People Crying “Adam Knox” As They Leap From Planes is on at The Provincial Hotel until April 20
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2014/season/shows/people-crying-adam-knox-as-they-leap-from-planes-adam-knox

World Record Show

By Noel Kelso

If you were one of those kids who always looked forward to getting the newest Guinness Book of World Records, ignoring the feats of strength or athleticism and just poring over the records for most boiled eggs fit in the mouth or most drawings of a cock and balls drawn on one forehead, then this really is the show for you.

Full of silly, stupid and downright ridiculous stunts World Record Show at the Melbourne Town Hall is an hour of awesome hilarity and shambolic daring from start to finish.

Hosts Andy Matthews, Adam Knox and Dave Warneke guide the thronging audience through a series of mad, bad and dangerous to know challenges which rope in some of their fellow comedians from other show.

First off the rank are Adam and Dave whose bitter rivalry is legend and are challenged to find the Most Adorable Baby Photo of themselves. Adam cheats and is disqualified.

The next challenge involves the evening’s first guests – Jared Jekyll and Cameron James – who disappear backstage to see who can place the most temporary tattoos on their body. They will return later.

The second guest is Jon Conway whose challenge – Most People Broken-up With In One Minute – involves members of the audience throwing tiny glasses of water in his face as he tells each one separately that he no longer loves them.

There are five more ludicrous challenges – including a race to the door wearing packets of two-minute noodles as shoes – before the next guest, Rose Callaghan, is brought on to attempt to create the World’s Best Hand Shield From Cheese Slices In One Minute. Adam Knox wins this round, but precisely what a hand shield is and why it needs to be made from cheese slices is still a mystery.

Incidentally – cheese slices make excellent Frisbee alternatives.

This is a silly, hilarious show with originality and brimming with ideas performed by three fabulous comedians and their mates. If you fancy some comedy which will most definitely not tax the mind and is utterly hilarious, then this is the show for you.

World Record Show is on at Melb Town Hall – Backstage Room until April 14
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2014/season/shows/world-record-show-adam-knox-andy-matthews-dave-warneke

5 Good Reasons to see That Sexy Show

1) Do you think Cosmo’s sex advice is socially irresponsible and dangerous? So do the (sane) humans of That Sexy Show! Go and watch Cosmo sex tips debunked right before your very (horrified) eyes! (This may or may not involve audience participation and often gets physical.)

2) They feature delicious pornstars and sexperts alongside some of Melbourne’s best tasting comedians! (Check Facebook for the linep – facebook.com/ThatSexyShow). Previous guests include Luke McGregor (Dirty Laundry Live, Nova FM, Time Of Our Lives), Catherine Deveny, Tom Ward (Please Like Me), Aeryn Walker (Game of Thrones) and this time round they’ll be joined by the likes of Fiona Patten – leader of the Australian Sex Party and pop-music comedy duo Die Roten Punkte.

3) You are guaranteed to learn something. Last time all in attendance became more knowledgeable about the pleasure (and seemingly lack of pleasure) derived from docking.*

*Docking; The act of placing the head of ones penis inside the foreskin of another’s penis.

Use it in a sentence? David and Patrick enjoyed docking immensely because of Patty’s stretchy foreskin.

4) The absolutely babin’ Geraldine Hickey (Triple M, The Librarians) is in it, joined by host and sex geek babe Sarah Jane and Adam Knox (Raw National Finalist) who are pretty good value too.

5) It’s central and on late, so you can fit it around anything else you’re seeing (The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Pl, 10:30pm-midnight every Thursday of the festival)

Bonus:

6) Cause you’re a kinky mother fucked (yay for you!) and you like watching awkward porn of a girl fucking a man in a panda suit just so that you can look at all the awkward looks on everyone else’s faces.

That Sexy Show is on Thursday nights at the very sexy Butterfly Club.

http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2014/season/shows/that-sexy-show

5 Good Reasons to see 10:45pm World Record Show.

THE 5 STUPIDEST WORLD RECORDS WE’LL ATTEMPT:

1. DARING STUNTS:
Alasdair Tremblay-Birchall and Pat Burtscher will compete to see who can snorkel in a fish tank the longest, whilst completing puzzle challenges.

2. SEX APPEAL:
Greg Larsen will try and set the record for the ‘fastest time to get an erection and play Baker Street on saxophone.’

3. YOUR CHANCE TO MAKE HISTORY:
We’re going to break records with the audience:
– Most people eating a single Le Snak biscuit.
– Most people pretending to fate at once.
– Most people saying ‘Beat Cancer’ in Chinese (all real records).

4. TRUE LOVE:
We’re going to lock comedian and local lover Jonathan Schuster in a sound proof booth with a stranger for an hour and get to them to complete a series of scientific experiments to see if we can break the record for ‘Fastest time for Jonathan Schuster to fall in love.’

5. REAL RISKS:
Hosts Adam Knox and Dave Warneke will compete to break ‘The world’s most terrifying message left on their own mother’s voice mail…’

(We’re also going to try a bunch of real records including the LONGEST EVER VARIETY SHOW on Saturday October 5th from 10am at Tuxedo Cat).

The most chaotic and unpredictable comedy show of the Fringe is on at Tuxedo Cat on Friday and Saturday nights at 10:45pm from September 20 – October 5.

http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/10-45pm-world-record-show/

5 Good Reasons to see a Melbourne Fringe Festival show at The Imperial

Five Reasons to visit The Imperial during Melbourne Fringe

ONE) The Imperial will be hosting 19 fringe shows this year! All comedy!

3 LITTLE GIGS
OUR LITTLE STORIES
XANDER ALLAN – GLAM
SIMON TAYLOR – FUNNY
LOVE, FACTUALLY WITH TOM LANG
NELLIE WHITE IS THE SHITTY CARER
NEIL SINCLAIR ‘CHARMINGLY USELESS’
VICTORIA HEALY PRESENTS WE ♥ COMEDY
MURPHY MCLACHLAN HAS TWO LAST NAMES
SONIA DI IORIO – DON’T KISS THE WEIRD GIRL
THE LATE NIGHT BOARD GAME SLUMBER PARTY WITH MIKE BROWN AND FRIENDS
SOME NUTTER’S DONE A RUNNER WITH CRAIG MCLEOD AND DOUG GORDON
THE HAPPIEST BOWERBIRD AND OTHER STORIES BY JONATHAN SCHUSTER
SITCOM THEME SONG SINGALONG (AND TRIVIA) WITH BERT GOLDSMITH
PEOPLE CRYING ‘ADAM KNOX’ AS THEY LEAP FROM PLANES
ROLAND HOFFMANN – EVERYTHING WILL BE ALRIGHT
BEING A WHEEL FAMILY. MEET THE MCGERES
BEAU STEGMANN: HERE’S LOOKING AT ME…
COME HECKLE JESUS

TWO) We have a lot of shows on every night. You can show up, and know something will be on. In fact, we only have two nights off for the whole festival (the first two Saturdays). We have shows starting on the hour, and we’ll have some discount drinks cards around for anyone who wants to come and hang out in between shows. We’re a comedy hub!

THREE) Whether you want to sing along to sit com themesongs, or shout abuse at Jesus Christ, we have a show for every taste! We also have a lot with zero audience participation, if the singing and heckling isn’t your style. The Imperial is a great place to take a punt on a new show. Our volunteers on the door can tell you all about the shows, and make recommendations based on your tastes. Sketch, poetry, standup, impro, storytelling, and whatever else you can think of.

FOUR) We are very generous. Head to our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/impycomedy) where we will be giving away tix and keeping everyone up to date on deals, whether tickets will be available on the door and of course, instagramming the hell out of the whole thing.

FIVE) The Imperial is a great place to observe comics in their natural habitat. Stick around after the show, have a beer with these kids, and you’ll be fast friends. Buy the beer, and you’ll have a friend for life.

The Imperial is one of the main Fringe Festival venues in Melbourne’s CBD at the corner of Bourke and Spring streets right near Parliament Station.

Find out more at The Imperial Website

http://comedyattheimperial.com/