Rose Callaghan: No Way Rosé

By Hooi Khaw

No Way Rosé? Yes way Rose!

Rose Callaghan is delightfully honest, but absurd in her humorously titled show No Way RosĂ©. The title – which combines alcohol and puns – gives the impression that it’s targeted at younger women, though Callaghan’s material caters well to a particular sense of humour, rather than an age range or gender. Admittedly, this was the predominant demographic of the audience that night, but there were definitely older women, and men in the audience enjoying the show equally.

Callaghan starts with well-mined material exploring themes of money, dating and relationships. Although she presents these topics from her own point of view, providing an inlet for the audience to relate to her in surprising ways. From there she moves stealthily into more absurd territory, setting up each story with an ordinary premise, making her final moves even funnier in contrast.

As much as she surprises you with these subversions of expectation, the gems that seemed to work the best with the crowd were those concise relatable truths that Callaghan delivered in well-crafted, recognisable packages. This consistently resulted in rises of “I know exactly what you mean” and “funny cos it’s true” laughter from the crowd.

Some references are Melbourne specific, but they land well with the crowd, and shouldn’t raise any concern with interstate visitors. It’s definitely still very easy to enjoy and understand the set ups and punch lines without local knowledge of Melbourne and its districts in advance.

Callaghan’s interactions with the crowd were also a joy to watch throughout the show. Near the end of her set someone’s phone alarm went off, and it was impressive to see how she kept up the momentum of her closing bit after the interruption.

Come for the pun-y title, stay for the highly relatable insights into the human condition, and life in Melbourne. 5 Rosés.

NO WAY ROSÉ is on at Forum Theatre – Ladies’ Lounge.  https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2018/shows/rose-callaghan-no-way-rose

 

 

The Funny Babe Fest

Running over five nights, Funny Babe Fest showcases over twenty five different acts – all written and performed by women. Profits from the season will be donated to global charity Equality Now.

The festival includes performances by Bev Killick, Tegan Higginbotham, sketch duo Nat Harris & Megan McCrea, Bone Marrow Theatre, Kate Denhert, Lisa-Skye, Play Like a Girl (The Improv Conspiracy), The Cheese Girls, Rachel Leary, Rose Callaghan, Joanne Brookfield, and Clara Cupcakes.

If for some reason you need further convincing to see a show during this brilliant festival, here are 5 Good Reasons to see Funny Babe Fest:

1. Every show has a different line up – over 30 acts appearing across five nights!

2. There’s something for every flavour of comedy lover. Everything from stand-up to cabaret, funny characters and short plays, to improv and puppetry.

3. Each performer is a kick-ass funny lady.

4. Many of the performers are sampling their upcoming Comedy Festival shows, so you can get a preview of what’s on offer at the Festival.

5. Profits from the season are going to ‘Equality Now’, which works globally to protect and promote the human rights of women and girls.

The Funny Babe Fest is on at The Butterfly Club from Tue 17 to Sun 22 March, 8pm (Tue/ Wed/ Sun) & 9pm (Thu/ Fri/ Sat).
Visit the Butterfly Club Website for all the details and Bookings.

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

3 Little Gigs

By Colin Flaherty

What is becoming a fixture of Imperial Comedy programs, 3 Little Gigs showcases the talents of up and coming performers in the safety of a group show. The Melbourne Fringe line up comprises of Arielle Conversi, Cameron Tyeson and Rose Callaghan.

Hailing from the States, Arielle hit the stage with boisterous enthusiasm. When she launched into material about the differences between her birthplace and Australia, a feeling of dread swept over me as this kind of gear is generally hack material by someone just off the plane. This lifted a little as it did actually fit with the way the show was advertised (worldwide comedy from Florida, Tasmania and Port Melbourne!) and she had a few unique observations that were amusing. The remainder of her set comprised of funny stories of working at a strip club where the humour came from her workmates lack of intellect and class. It was quite an enjoyable set.

Tasmanian born Cam was next and also opened with an outsiders view of Melbourne that was little generic but had a few interesting ideas amongst it. His set really hit its straps in the second half with a routine about his tips for dating success complete with hand drawn visual aids. Some of the cards were a little wordy and contained the exact text he was reciting to us but there were plenty of cute cartoons to entertain. His wordplay was sometimes a little forced but some nice surreal concepts kept us laughing.

Local girl Rose rounded out the night and had a strange, varied tone to her delivery. Beginning with embarassment when referring to an un-named feminine hygiene product, she later described various amusing sexual misadventures using plenty of detail and innuendo. She had a lot of interesting ideas beneath it all but often failed to capitalise on them, many of her jokes drifted off into the ether without pay-off. It was as if she was relying too much on the audience to connect the dots to understand the angle from which she was approaching a punchline rather than actually giving us one.

All three performers displayed confidence on stage to effectively sell their material but their inexperience tended to show through. When lines fell flat they highlighted them with some comments to their fellow performers which came dangerously close to blaming the audience for not laughing. It was nice to see their camaraderie and these interactions gave the show a fun, informal feel, but to some it may not be professional enough for a paying audience. The cold hard fact is: if a line fails repeatedly, it probably needs re-evaluation rather than stubbornly persisting with it.

Overall it was a fun show. They were all still rough around the edges and it’s worth keeping an eye open for their future endeavours. Those willing to take the risk on these relative unknowns will have a good time if they take their greenness into account.

3 Little Gigs is on at The Imperial Hotel until September 27

http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/3-little-gigs/

5 GOOD REASONS TO SEE 3 LITTLE GIGS

1) 3 Little Gigs is back! 3 gigs! 3 comics! 1 show! The format was a smashing success at MICF this year with Sam Peterson, Nat Harris and Nick Quon. Now it’s back for Melbourne Fringe with an all-new line-up featuring shithot up-and-comers Arielle Conversi, Cam Tyeson and Rose Callaghan. Ripper!

2) Arielle rules. Rip-roaringly funny and an absolute karaoke fiend, Arielle is acerbic, engaging and altogether ace. Plus, she’s from Clearwater, Florida. Do you know what they make in Clearwater, Florida? Funny people and Scientology. So no matter which of the two she turns out to be, you’re guaranteed to get a laugh out of it.

3) Cam rules. Cam is a bloody tall man from Tasmania who carries a tinge of the ginge in his beardage. He likes football possibly a little too much and once appeared in an episode of the SBS game show Letters & Numbers. He lost to a badminton umpire. That bitter defeat has driven him to the stage to tell jokes for the approval of you, the most gracious and attractive audience.

4) Rose rules. Appeared on Triple J’s Debate Night and smashed Nazeem Hussain in a debate about hip-hop? Check. Created the #goslingwatch hashtag that sent the city into mild hysteria? Check. Slinger of c-bombs with surprising and impressive proficiency? You betcha. Rose is funny. Proper funny.

5) It’s cheap as shit. Here is a list of things you can’t buy for $15: Twelve litres of petrol. Jeans that fit properly. The love of a good man and/or woman. Here is a list of things you CAN buy for $15: A ticket to 3 Little Gigs, featuring short shows from three comics who will make you laugh in one of the best pubs in the city. Get into it!

A great way to check out three  up and coming comedians in one night and a great appetizer of bite sized comedies to start your night at the Fringe!

3 Little Gigs is on at The Imperial at 7pm
http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/3-little-gigs/