Lessons with Luis Stickin’ Together

By Lisa Clark 

Yay Luis and Luellin are back on stage together again! This is “old school” Lessons With Luis for fans and a great intro to their daggy retro-style feel-good comedy for newcomers.

He’s done standup and sing offs and lectures, now Luis is keen to try his hand at creating a sitcom. In space! The sitcom, also called Stickin’ Together, requires another actor for Luis to work with so Luellin is hauled back into duty to support his big brother’s dream of show business. But while he’s been away from the stage, Luellin has gained an independent life outside of home made up of friends and hobbies.

The sitcom itself is performed in the Lessons With Luis style – like kids who’ve created this in their lounge room with very basic props and an obvious clichĂ©d plot. Everything starts off with Happy Good Times but we know this won’t last for long. Luis, emulating TV, has inserted a couple of ad breaks into the show within a show, the first being the best and possibly highlight of the evening. There is a very They Might Be Giants feel to the jingle about microwave ovens. The original songs throughout are actually surprisingly great.

Tech is always good in a Lessons with Luis show and the pre-recorded voices are handled expertly, acting as  a great way of getting around annoying the audience with interaction and also a way of getting the silent Luellin more involved. The special guest voice-over professional is; the legend that is: Pete Smith. As in “Saaaaale of the Century” Pete Smith. The voice of Chanel 9 for many decades. Well, if you need voice overs for your show, why not get the best? Pete’s voice gets to be involved in more ways than one and adds to the charmingly old fashioned vibe of the show.

It would not be a Lessons With Luis show without learning and it is Luellin who takes over the learning in this show indicating that he is maturing and able to take charge when Luis is having a meltdown. Luellin’s contributions have always been appreciated by the audience and now, hopefully, may be more appreciated by his brother. It would be a good idea though, for him to hold up The Learning White Board or to place it somewhere on stage where everyone could see, but luckily, we had a helpful audience member up the front who loudly read out what was written on the learning board without being asked.

If there was a main fault to this show it would be that the central idea of the sibling rivalry seems to have been covered in more poignant ways in the past. The finale however is glorious and possibly one of the best at the Festival, with a wild joyful 40s jive dance number on a fairly small stage (with props lying around!).

Lessons with Luis always put on a delightfully quirky show you can bring your family to for laughs and a good time and Stickin’ Together is no different – with an early evening slot too.

Lessons with Luis Stickin’ Together is on at The Melbourne Town Hall Lunch Room

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2019/shows/stickin-together

Tanya Losanno : The Good, The Bad and the Elderly

By Colin Flaherty

It’s been quite a while since I’ve last seen Tanya Losanno on a Melbourne stage. Since then, family has been consuming her life and this wonderfully sweet set of stories documents the trials and tribulations of caring for elderly parents in her hometown of Canberra.

The spaghetti western theme loomed large in this show (you will be humming Morrocone’s theme for days afterwards), drawing connections between the characters in those films with her and her parents, and portraying the many misadventures as showdowns. She regularly poked fun at Mum and Dad’s peculiar habits and all the crazy situations they caused. A lot of Tanya’s jokes revolved around their Italian heritage but it was a gentle, loving ribbing of their eccentricities and the exasperating gap between the generations, rather than scoffing at the behaviours from the old country.

The show gradually built a vivid picture of her parents with amusing memories from Tanya’s childhood revealing more about how her view of them had changed over time. She loved a callback and frequently returned to several Italian motifs during the hour.

Tanya was the same convivial performer that I remember and she had the audience glued to every word. It was quite an animated performance when some of the tales were broken up with mimes to illustrate the scene she was describing. Some were merely a gun-slinger grimace while others were full on slapstick affairs and her facial expressions were a joy to behold.

The Good, The Bad and The Elderly was a charmingly amusing show with broad appeal and some damn fine comedic storytelling. It’s certainly one to take your mum to (if she can manage the stairs up to the venue).

The Good, The Bad and the Elderly is on at The Coopers Malthouse until April 21
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2019/shows/tanya-losanno

Andy Matthews & Alasdair Tremblay-Birchall – Magma

By Will Erskine 

Not every comedy show will present you with a solution to solve all (or most) of the world’s problems; in fact this may be the only one I’ve seen and it is definitely the only one I’ve seen at MICF this year. Presented in the style of an infomercial or a questionable property investment seminar, Magma explains the worlds hottest emerging industry Magma Mining. With deadpan delivery and glorious pseudo-science both Andy Matthew’s and Alasdair Tremblay-Birchall are worryingly convincing in their roles as engineers pitching the proposed new industry and left me quite genuinely ready to invest and have a Magma tap installed in my house as soon as possible.

While the show largely focuses on the central theme of magma mining, our two hosts manage to expertly solve a range of other related issues including prioritising function over form by structurally stabilising the Arabic Numerals, something that had never occurred to be as necessary and now cannot be unseen. I will never be able to take the number 5 seriously again.

I don’t think there is any hiding the fact that this is a geeky show and those with experience in an engineering field will relate particularly well to both the presentation style and the type of nonsense presented. While the show’s poster describes it as “An Engineering Presentation” there is still plenty to enjoy for those who aren’t quite as intimately familiar with the style of presentation being parodied and anyone willing to embark on the sci-fi thought experiment of magma mining will be richly rewarded with one of the funniest, most absurd shows at the festival. These two had me in fits of giggles from start to finish.

Magma plays at Tasma Terrace until Apr 21

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2019/shows/magma

Nina Oyama: Needs a Lift Review

By Nick Bugeja  

Nina Oyama might be a familiar face. Maybe you’ve seen her on Utopia, or SBS a few years back or Tom Ballard’s Tonightly. Or, more likely, you saw her throw up on a mass scale at a pub in rural New South Wales.

Oyama hails from the city of Bathurst. On its tourism website, Bathurst is said to have “rich heritage, museums, and a thriving arts scene”. This isn’t the immediate impression you get from listening to Oyama’s recollection of the region: where K-Marts are considered an upper crust institution, where there’s nothing to do but drink yourself blind, and also apparently pick up innumerable road fines.

The show is framed around Oyama’s unusual aptitude for picking up fines for speeding, driving without a valid licence, and not displaying her P-plates – all of which has to disgrace her father, who’s a well-known figure in taxi driver circles. It’s doubtful that she was pleased about these at the time, but her recklessness has provided Oyama with a wealth of amusing jokes.

Unlike plenty of other comics I can think of, Oyama has a self-consciousness that serves her comedy well. Instead of regurgitating trite and tired lines about house prices, the price of avocados, or the incompetency of our politicians, her set frequently mocks them intelligently. She’s not afraid of self-deprecation either, but again this is adopted in a genuine, honest way – maximising its interest to us and its comedic value.

All performances are embellished to some degree, but there’s a strong sense in which we’re getting to know Oyama over the duration of her show. She’s not just spitting out randomly funny jokes, but material that clearly has some personal resonance for her. And this makes her performance all the more engaging.

At 25 years of age, and presumably not wanting to return to Bathurst anytime soon, it seems that Oyama has more than a few good years left. Effervescent, likeable, and self-aware, she’s got all the tools to flourish in Australia’s comedy ecosystem. The years of her getting by as a “human possum” – stealing fruit off trees in Brunswick – are over, you’d have to think.

Nina Oyama: Needs a Lift is showing at the Forum until 21 Apr

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2019/shows/nina-oyama-needs-a-lift

 

 

Joe White: Ethiopian & Still Not Hungry

By Nick Bugeja 

Joe White has to start every show with an Ethiopian dance. What began as a fun, charming way to kickstart his comedy routine is now a must. Once White neglected the dance, and a lady came up to him, upset: “Joe, why didn’t you do the dance?” It ruined her night.

You can see why she wasn’t thrilled about that. But it also seems a tad unreasonable to let that totally impinge on your enjoyment of White’s entire show. Because all of it is great – the dancing, the material, the back-and-forth between himself and the audience. Even before he got into the dance, White was smiling cheek-to-cheek. And that smile never disappeared over the course of his set. Seeing him, clearly, having a great time on stage rubs off on the audience: it makes you like White’s comedy, and even him as a person.

It’s always an experience, let’s say, to see a comic who deliberately tries to alienate you; to perform such grotesque or risqué jokes that you laugh, while questioning the moral fibre of the person – or the personality they’re trying to construct. There’s no such problem with White. Although his material goes to some interesting places – teaching his nephew to urinate without it getting on his face, for one – we are always on White’s side. Even when he takes to throwing unanticipated questions at us.

Comics need to be quick on their feet, but not many are able to develop interlinked, substantive material in the heat of the moment. White could; grilling a criminal lawyer in the front row for legal advice; asking two cousins who’d attended the show together when they were going to Tasmania to marry; and facilitating a “counselling session” between a couple who’d disagreed about the validity of donating money to charity workers at train stations.

White’s conclusion to the show is great as well. Pivoting to stories of his mother and family gives us unique insight into their difficulties as a refugee family, and the resilience they’ve needed to carry with them. It’s a funny yet touching note to end on. White – not his real Ethiopian name, if anyone was wondering – is going places comedically.

Watch out for him in the coming years. You won’t be disappointed.

Joe White’s Ethiopian & Still Not Hungry is playing at the Afro Hub until 20 April. Tickets are available here:

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/index.php/2019/shows/joe-white-ethiopian-still-not-hungry-new-show

Tom Allen – Absolutely

By Peter Newling

A cold, wet, windy, unwelcoming Melbourne night and a climb up the cold, unwelcoming concrete stairs to the first floor of the Greek Centre were immediately offset by a warm welcome from the main attraction himself. Tom Allen greeted every guest personally, sharply dressed in an immaculate three piece pin stripe suit complete with silk pocket hanky.

He is a recognisable character. He has appeared on a number of the British panel shows that are shown here, including Mock the Week, Live at the Apollo, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and of course Great British Bakeoff An Extra Slice. The personal greeting upon entering allowed time for an extraordinary number of pre-show selfies to be taken at the request of adoring audience members – not something I’ve seen too often at festival shows.

His impeccable appearance and his obvious fondness for show tunes give you a fair idea of what to expect even before Allen makes it onto the stage. Tom’s comic character is camp, acerbic, bitchy, self absorbed and animated. His suit and his tongue seem to compete for sharpness. His stories are punctuated with moments of fast paced angst, high pitched excitement and wonderful under-the-breath backhanders.

Much of his material is based on growing up gay in England, and his current status as a thirty-something gay guy still living with his parents. His story lines are very much experience and relationship based – and he is a very fine story teller indeed. He manages to balance pomposity and judgementalism with delightful (very British) self deprecation.

Allen excels at audience interaction. He has a wonderful knack for drawing very funny information from a number of unsuspecting punters early in the set, then revisiting that information at appropriate moments over the course of the hour. It’s a real skill, and adds significantly to the enjoyment of the show.

Absolutely is a show that has been toured extensively, and has a confidence to it that lets the audience know they’re in safe hands. It’s great he has bought it to Melbourne.

Absolutely is on at the Greek Centre (Mykonos Room) until April 21
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2019/shows/tom-allen