Comedy for Christmas in Melbourne

By Lisa Clark

Comedy at Christmas time is the perfect choice for festive celebrations. Sometimes Very Christmassy, sometimes a look at the year gone by (& aren’t we just hanging out for 2016 to have gone bye bye?), sometimes a chance to drink, laugh and forget….  The Comedy Rooms in Melbourne are putting on some Fantastic line ups throughout December and brilliant comedians doing exciting Christmas shows. So organise your bookings, get together with your friends to laugh and forget about the past year and the coming Christmas family obligations.

3 Sat – A Very Judy Christmas – The Butterfly Club

Brendy Ford  as Judy Free

https://thebutterflyclub.com/show/a-very-judy-christmas

4  Sun – Political Asylum – The Brunswick Green

Mathew Kenneally
Toby Halligan
Jess Moir
Tom Ballard
Ben Pobjie
Nicholas J Johnson
& more!

http://blog.politicalasylum.com.au/2016/11/first-show-of-new-trump-tatorship.html

7 Wed – The Wheeler Centre The Show of the Year 2016  – The Atheneum Theatre

Casey Bennetto  Geraldine Quinn , Deborah Conway, Tom Ballard, Geraldine Hickey, Cal Wilson, Danny McGinlay, Jennifer Byrne and more…

http://www.wheelercentre.com/events/the-show-of-the-year-2016

9 Fri –  Tripod Christmas Turkeys – Memo Music Hall in St Kilda

http://3pod.com.au/site/christmas-turkeys/

10 Sat –  Tripod Christmas Turkeys – Memo Music Hall in St Kilda

http://3pod.com.au/site/christmas-turkeys/

15 Thurs –  Sammy J & Randy Land – Xmas Tour – The Atheneum

http://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=SAMMRAND16&v=ATT

16 Fri –  Sammy J & Randy Land – Xmas Tour – The Atheneum

http://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=SAMMRAND16&v=ATT

17 Sat –  Sammy J & Randy Land – Xmas Tour – The Atheneum

http://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=SAMMRAND16&v=ATT

19 Mon – Local Laughs Christmas show – Local Taphouse StKilda

MC Andrew McClelland
The Bedroom Philosopher
David Quirk
Michael Williams
Geraldine Hickey
& More!

21 Wed – Swingin’ Bella Christmas – Bella Union Bar

MCs Casey Bennetto and Geraldine Quinn will be joined by Tim Rogers

https://www.bellaunion.com.au/event/1114/

22 Thur – Swingin’ Bella Christmas – Bella Union Bar

MCs Casey Bennetto and Geraldine Quinn will be joined by Deborah Conway and Willy Zygier

https://www.bellaunion.com.au/event/1114/

23 Fri – Swingin’ Bella Christmas – Bella Union Bar

MCs Casey Bennetto and Geraldine Quinn will be joined by Scott Edgar, Steven Gates & Eddie Perfect

https://www.bellaunion.com.au/event/1114/

24 Sat – Little Dum Dum Club Orphan Christmas – European Bier Café

Tommy Dassalo and Karl Chandler and their mates.

https://www.trybooking.com/Booking/BookingEventSummary.aspx?eid=241442&hs=littledumdumclub.com

 

Yeti’s Demon Dive Bar

By Elyce Phillips
Yetis Demon Dive Bar

Aussie expats Jennifer Byrne and Victoria Falconer-Pritchard have returned to Melbourne with their new work Yeti’s Demon Dive Bar. It’s a little hairy – both in the literal and scary sense – and absolutely hilarious.

Byrne and Falconer-Pritchard, formerly of EastEnd Cabaret, have shaken things up in Yeti’s Demon Dive Bar. The cabaret sensibility remains, with plenty of audience interaction and bawdiness to be found in this show, but now they’re wearing five kilos of mops on their person.

At Yeti’s bar, we’re introduced to a whole cast of performers, all ably played by Byrne and Falconer-Pritchard. It’s a bizarre cavalcade of stars, each act proving more chaotic than the last. There’s a thin narrative thread running through the show, but this really is all about the characters. Byrne is fantastic as the titular Yeti, played with a dose of southern charm that allows her to get away with just about anything. Falconer-Pritchard bounces off Byrne’s more refined characters with a scrappy energy that consistently had the audience laughing. It’s difficult to single out one of her characters for praise, as they were all so strong, but her magic act was beautifully baffling and one of the highlights of the show.

The musical elements of Yeti’s Demon Dive Bar are an absolute stand-out. The dance routines performed by the Psychedelic Nuns were brilliant, and a section involving some loop-pedal-based techno was both impressive and ridiculous. There’s more than a touch of the Mighty Boosh to this duo, with their monsters made from cleaning products, bands comprised of supernatural beings and bizarre songs.

The energy between Byrne and Falconer-Pritchard is fabulous. As performers, they appear to have a genuine bond and make each other laugh with ease. After some initial trepidation, they got the audience on board as well – literally having them eating out of the palm of their hand.

Yeti’s Demon Dive Bar is a weird and wonderful showcase for the diverse talents of Byrne and Falconer-Pritchard. Be sure to grab yourself a table up front if you want to experience everything Yeti’s has to offer.

Yeti’s Demon Dive Bar is on at Roxanne until April 17

http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2016/season/shows/demon-dive-bar-yeti-s