Bec Charlwood : Dirty Girl

By Nick Bugeja

As soon as Bec Charlwood took to the stage, there was little doubt that the crowd was in for an interesting ride. In the opening stages, she jumped, twerked and danced to Christina Aguilera’s ‘Dirty’ to kick things off, before pointing to the inappropriateness of the show’s early start time of 5pm – an hour when the elderly are typically tucking into their dinner for the night.

One could hardly disagree, considering that many of Charlwood’s jokes revolved around salacious topics such as sex toys, sexually transmitted illnesses, visiting the gynaecologist, and her mother’s sexual appetite. Such was the hilarity of Charlwood’s delivery that the mood remained undimmed by the jarring time. And, of course, Charlwood doesn’t disappoint: her show certainly lives up to its suggestive title.

Dirty Girl doesn’t have a rigid structure or a central narrative; it is composed of discrete stories from Charlwood’s own experiences. None of them flopped from a comic perspective, while the longer, drawn-out ones were the more successful. In particular, the parts dealing with the generational rifts between baby boomer and millennial women were both hilarious and socially cutting.

On the comedy scene for over six years now, Charlwood was evidently at home on the stage. She exuded confidence, yet retained her sense of self-awareness – a fine balance many comedians fail to strike. That certainly bodes well for her career, and it is hard to not see her continuing to carve out an audience for her explicitly sexual, expletive-laden comedy.

Dirty Girl is showing at the Westin until 4 April. Tickets are available here:

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2021/shows/bec-charlwood#

5 Good Reasons to See: Sit on My Face: An Intimate Night with The Harry Morrissey Official

1. GUARANTEED NO MENTION OF CORONA

No mention of the C word, the long gruelling lockdown or the fuckery of 2020, Harry’s Irish so everything is swept under the rug!

2. HARRY KNOWS HOW TO BOOGIE!

Yes, yes we know that everyone can get a little funky on the dance floor and we definitely encourage people to do so whenever possible! However, as a WAAPA dance graduate there will be a plethora of wicked moves being busted at ya, so watch out!

3. SPECIAL GUEST GIATHORA!

Blue mountains spiritual healer Ghiathora will be making an appearance and running the audience through some mindless meditation techniques. BYO Trauma.

4. THE FASHUN, HUN!

Sit on my Face features at least 5 carefully constructed garments sponsored by Vintage Garage! They are pure perfection. MWAH

5. ‘BUSSY’ WORLDWIDE PREMIER!

Harry will be releasing their new hit single ‘Bussy’ (Bussy is a boy Pussy!), it’s going to be the Anal Anthem of the generation, so you definitely shouldn’t miss that.

Sit on My Face: An Intimate Night with The Harry Morrissey Official is on at LongPlay  from April 1 – 17

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2021/shows/sit-on-my-face

Nat’s What I Reckon: On Purpose

By Erin Hill 

You may have seen heavily tattooed, long-haired Nat (otherwise known as Nat’s What I Reckon) laying waste to pre-made jar sauce on YouTube or your social media pages during lockdown. His frank, often profane, no ‘piss farting about’ kitchen-bench banter was a breath of fresh air in dire times. If only he could translate his attitude of using exclusively fresh produce to his live Festival show On Purpose.

The moments where Nat performed to the audience, taking the piss out of questionable internet self-help tips or roasting comments left by internet trolls projected on the screen behind him were well received. Similarly, the brief glimpse into his past, sharing photos of his childhood (or a “seamlessly” Photoshopped facsimile where an actual photo was not available) had the audience enthralled, along with the stories he shared about his experience of those times. The wisdom of a thirteen-year-old acquaintance Steven sticks out, as does the story of Nat contracting glandular fever and, of all things, tuberculosis at the same time and losing half a lung.

Addressing the kitchen-sized elephant in the room, Nat even shared an exclusive ‘How to’ cooking video, made especially for the odd experience of watching it midway through a live show. It worked; the fourth wall in tatters, the audience in titters, all the fun of having your cake and eating it too, or in this case; tuna bake.

As On Purpose progressed however, it shifted tonally, erring more towards Nat emerging from behind the projector screen, to introduce YouTube clips from the Nats What I Reckon archive. Setting aside the entertainment value of the content, it felt odd, disjointed and more so unnecessary. One particular video focusing on the Sydney public transport system moved as slowly as the Light Rail the clip was bemoaning. ‘Public transport is rubbish’ is a lukewarm take at best, and if I wanted to watch someone complain about trams I could just as easily jump on the 57 back to Flinders Street.

After a strong start, the show lost momentum as it sacrificed the innate spark of live comedy, and to borrow Nat’s What I Reckons ethos, it felt a bit like being served jar-sauce comedy. The point of watching live comedy is watching the show get ‘seasoned’ on the fly, watching the performer add a touch of bite or sweetness as the show requires, modulating the flow of energy between audience and comedian to get it just right each time.
Seeing what could have been a sumptuous feast being co-opted for reheated leftovers leaves something of a bitter taste in your mouth.

To find out more, see the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Guide:

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2021/shows/nat-s-what-i-reckon

Scott Limbrick : The Last Blockbuster on Earth

By Colin Flaherty

Atop a remote mountain lies the last video store in existence. It is here that an unnamed and unseen curator presents a collection of scenes from the library (through the vessel of Scott Limbrick). Welcome to The Last Blockbuster on Earth.

A Video Store wrap around was a flimsy device upon which to hang this collection of character monologues. There was no satisfying conclusion to the show which made the audience feel as if this was just Limbrisk’s Showreel.

The scenes themselves were quite long and provided extensive background before getting to the twist. There were a few genuinely amusing ideas that tickled the fancy of his audience but they were few and far between. He did manage to subvert some cinema tropes in inventive ways  while others leaned on the recognition of movie references. Some jokes were too slight to sustain the length of the scene, hoping that repetition would do the heavy lifting.

Limbrick employed some audience participation which relied heavily on a vocal and keen audience to jump up and help him. On the night I attended they were a little timid. One segment set a punter the amusingly impossible task of documenting a long surreal description of a dream. It was sadly anticlimactic, even when it was called back to for some improvisation. It certainly wasn’t a strong showing of his skills which raised the question : Were his impro chops not up to the task? Or was the punter’s artwork so lackluster that he had nothing to work with. I suspect it was the former.

There was a motif of existential crisis running throughout which was a bold choice for a comedy show. It was often laid on so thick that it became a little monotonous, even when delivered through a kooky character.

This was an ambitious show that was patchy in terms of laughs. If you can handle repeated pondering about the meaning of life you may find a few things to chuckle at.

The Last Blockbuster on Earth is on at The Improv Conspiracy Swanston, Friday to Sunday until April 18

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2021/shows/scott-limbrick

Anna Piper: Queer & Present Danger

By Lisa Clark 

Anna Piper Scott is such a brilliant stand up comedian. Forged in the dark comedy rooms of Western Australia, she comes to us, having journeyed throughout Australia, with all of the skills of the best kind of comedian. She owns the stage, keeps the laughs rolling and is a joy to spend time with.

Anna is warm and welcoming and understands how to make others feel safe and included. Even hecklers, who, rather than spoiling the show, gave Anna the space to prove how fucking awesome she is at dealing with them. Adding them to the show, so that the experience is part of the whole, she’s going to accept them and get big unexpected improvised laughs out of it without being unnecessarily nasty. This makes the rest of the audience feel safe and included as well. Impressive stuff. Some comedians say they are inclusive, but Anna really means it.

Last time I saw Anna it was in a two hander with Sofie Joske called Almost Lesbians. It was one of my highlights of the 2018 festival. It too was warm and welcoming but also kooky, sketchy and a bit rough around the edges. There is nothing rough about Queer and Present Danger. Highly polished, well written and executed, Anna has blossomed and found her voice and her comfort zone on stage. This was a very personal coming out show but I also love the topical and political stuff that make appearances. She names political names making the audience gasp as they laugh. Perfect edge for a late night show at the Festival.

It’s only been just over 3 years that Anna has been out as Trans and one of those years was barely a year, so it’s impressive that she can joke about it all with some perspective. There are a few dark moments but it’s not long before we are laughing again. I am in awe that she’s been able to create such a beautiful, emotionally satisfying and breathtakingly funny Festival show out of her experience. Anna is one of those people who is a born comedian. She can’t help it.

Anna Piper Scott performs Queer & Present Danger at The Butterfly Club til Apr 4

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2021/shows/anna-piper-scott

Virtually Funny

By Colin Flaherty

Virtually Funny
 sorry, “The Melbourne International Very Serious Short Film Festival” provided plenty of laughs even though the sign at the venue stated that a serious art event lay beyond its doors. You knew you were in for a good time when the house music consisted of kitchy covers of the classic tune “Popcorn”.

First up was a bit of French New Wave by Marcel Lucont with plenty of his trademark arrogance and disdane which was being translated into Aussie for the audince’s benefit. When Marcel’s displeasure extended beyond the screen, you knew we were in for something special.

Next was Bec Hill performing her crowd pleasing flip chart illustrations of the lyrics to Piaf’s Je Ne Regrette Rien. This riotious routine started out normally but soon desended into some third diamension lunancy that added a whole new flavour to the piece.

Natalie Palamides presented an attempt at “philosophical musing” involving a herculean task of housework. This was played wonderfully straight so that when elements of the film invaded the audience it was a joy to behold.

Michelle Brasier and Josh Glanc provided some culture with a performance of Romeo & Juliet: Act 5, Scene 3. Hammy overacting and character breaking had us in stitches while lines and stage directions were changed on the fly with riotous results.

“Cinema Staff” Shari and Garry filled in for some “technical glitches” with a spot of karaoke but were soon interrupted by some unsavory foreigners (played by Viggo Venn and Julia Masli onscreen with in the flesh menace provided by David Tieck). We were treated to some cartoon violence, a strange rap performance and wacky love triangle (or was it a pentangle?).

Virtually Funny had shades of “The Show That Goes Wrong” with the in person team trying to hold things together as film and reality broke down. Our host (played by Janet A McLeod) was the arty farty type trying to maintain a veneer of high brow culture in the face of the chaos. The loveable dogsbody characters played by Tieck and Sharnema Nougar (of Two Little Dickheads fame), and Garry Starr offered plenty of help but fell hilariously short. The physical cast were run off their feet reacting to every breaking of the the fourth wall (or is it screen demolition?). Some of the reaction to cues were a little clunky but they pulled through on charm.

A brilliantly ambitious and inventive merger of film and live action, this show employed plenty of visual trickery to bring the filmic action into our laps. Congrats to the local team and the filmmakers for pulling off a hilarious tour de force.

Virtually Funny is on at Loop Project Space & Bar every Friday and Saturday until April 17
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2021/shows/virtually-funny