Category: Uncategorized

By Elyce Phillips 

You can hear the people sing this MICF. Well, more specifically, you can hear Dean Arcuri and Karen From Finance sing. Les n Mis is a cheesy, over-the-top tribute to one of the most iconic musicals of all time.

In Les n Mis, the class warfare of the French Revolution is scaled down somewhat, Arcuri and Karen From Finance fighting the good fight against the tyranny of the Myki ticketing system. In the first act, we are introduced to the evil ticket inspectors, and poor fare evaders who must turn to selling themselves in order to pay their fines. Arcuri starts the show strong, bringing the funny with absurd lyrics. Karen From Finance takes things up a notch with some fine physical comedy.

In the interval, the duo perform a version of ‘Master of the House’ that satirises the current government and their appalling treatment of the Safe Schools program. It’s funny and well-written, but feels out of place when they return to the mundanities of Myki. The satire of the second act becomes a little limp with a mid-show reminder that there are more important things to be fighting for. It’s a minor jarring moment, however, as the second act is even more absurd than the first and quickly has you laughing.

Arcuri and Karen From Finance work very well together. Both are wonderful performers. When Arcuri sings live, his voice is truly impressive. He engaged the audience at all times. Karen From Finance’s drag performance skills are spot-on, particularly her ridiculously exaggerated lip synching. Her version of ‘Castle On A Cloud’ was absolutely hilarious, rightfully mocking what is an awful song.

Les n Mis is obviously geared towards fans of the musical Les Miserables, but even if you haven’t seen it, there’s plenty to enjoy here. The show is big and silly and rages against the daily struggles we all face. Acuri and Karen from Finance are a fabulously funny pairing.

Karen From Finance and Dean Arcuri – Les n Mis is on at the Hare Hole (Hares & Hyenas) until April 10

http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2016/season/shows/les-n-mis-karen-from-finance-dean-arcuri

By Colin Flaherty

With its dual meaning Washed Up is a stylized autobiographical show about his experiences in Australia as an immigrant from Ireland. This series of fish out of water stories doesn’t offer any life changing revelations or character development, just lots of silly observations about being in a foreign land.

An introductory video of Mark McConnell wandering around St Kilda in a state of disillusionment creates the tone for the show and sets up some material for call backs. It contains only a few visual jokes (one requiring a google search for background to that particular locale) and does tend to drag.

Once he hits the stage, Mark lightens the mood with his charming persona and launches into the first of many hilarious stories. Tales such as those detailing living in a share house, random sexual encounters and his adventures out on the town delight the crowd. He even throws in some material about local issues which are given a naïve outsiders view to great effect.

While on the surface the topics he covers come dangerously close to being hack subjects, he does a brilliant job at weaving the jokes into tall tales of epic proportions. The ridiculous situations and the directions these stories take is a joy to behold. Mix in some self-deprecation to paint him as a bit of a lovable loser and you’re in for laughs a plenty. McConnell is a wonderful storyteller and his thick accent certainly helps sweeten the deal as he sells his wacky ideas with gusto.

His bragging about the taking the scenic route for some base humour is a bit too cocky for his stage persona. When a joke fell flat he came within an inch of blaming the audience for not picking up on an old Melbourne reference. While it was an interesting example of an immigrant done good, I assumed that it had been in the cultural zeitgeist well before Mark landed on our shores.

Those looking for an hour of enjoyable and amusing storytelling will find plenty to love here. He spins a good yarn, holds everyone attention and most importantly keeps them laughing.

Washed Up is on at Glamp Bar until April 9

http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2016/season/shows/washed-up-mark-mcconnell