5 Good Reasons To See Scout Boxall: Good Egg

1. If you or someone you love is non-binary or queer.

2. If you’ve ever wondered whether Enya’s Orinoco Flow is powerful enough to stop a bullet.

3. If you want to slim down, shape up and become the best vessel for Christ’s glorious love you can be.

4. If you’re a fan of Eurovision and/or the downfall of the Soviet Union.

5. If you’ve ever had to sit through a free spoken word performance upstairs in a gentrified yoga studio with spiked vegan chai and you want closure.

Scout Boxall Performs  Good Egg At Trades Hall 25 Mar – Apr5

Tickets Available Here:   https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2021/shows/scout-boxall-good-egg

MICF 2021 Shows we’ve previously Reviewed

Well.

Hello Everybodeeeee!

It’s been a while and we’ve been through the wars and semi hibernation and discovered online live comedy

BUT

isn’t it great to have live comedy back with us! We’re feeling pretty lucky to be able to have a Melbourne International Comedy Festival, much reduced though it will be. We are already pretty excited about so many shows (live and virtual) this year!

And Yes we will be going out to taste the delights of the Festival to report back on What’s Going On.

As always we begin our coverage with  a list of shows in this year’s festival that we have already seen, along with links to our thoughts about them. As usual we give the disclaimer that festival shows are ever evolving entities so they will certainly have changed since we sat in the audience.

Ali McGregor’s Late-Nite Variety-Nite Night

Here’s Lisa’s review from Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2016:

Always a wonderful way to catch some of the best quirky acts from the Melbourne International Comedy Festival handpicked by our gorgeous host.

https://www.squirrelcomedy.com/?p=9937

Ali McGregor’s Late-Nite Variety-Nite Night is on at The Famous Spiegeltent at Arts Centre Melbourne Fri – Sun throughout the Festival

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2021/shows/ali-mcgregor-s-late-nite-variety-night

Best of British

Here’s James’ review from Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2017:

Down a quick pint, strap yourself in and go nuts. You’ll have a wonderful time.

https://www.squirrelcomedy.com/?p=11235

Best of British is on at Exford Hotel from March 24 to April 18

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2021/shows/best-of-british

The Breast of the Fest

Here’s Jess’s review from Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2019:

It’s a refreshing show, with each of the comics bringing something different to the evening, but all bringing more than a few laughs.

https://www.squirrelcomedy.com/?p=13671

The Breast of the Fest is on at Trades Halle from March 25 to April 4

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2021/shows/the-breast-of-the-fest

Faulty Towers The Dining Experience

Here is Ron’s review from Edinburgh Fringe 2008:

This was one of the most madcap and fun packed dining experiences I can recall. I laughed so hard my jaw is aching.

https://www.squirrelcomedy.com/?p=1633

Faulty Towers The Dining Experience is on at The Duke of Wellington Hotel from April 8 – 18
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2021/shows/faulty-towers-the-dining-experience

Impromptunes : The Completely Improvised Musical

Here’s Hooi’s review from Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2018:

A charming show that showcases the improvisational and musical talents of the performers… absolutely engrossing.

https://www.squirrelcomedy.com/?p=12663

The Completely Improvised Musical is on at Trades Hall from April 5 to 18

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2021/shows/impromptunes

Matt Harvey : I Got Bit by a Monkey Once

Here’s Peter’s review from Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2019:

Matt’s show is intimate and warm. It’s rather like listening to a friend telling you stories about their recent travels.

https://www.squirrelcomedy.com/?p=13806

I Got Bit by a Monkey Once is on at Caz Reitops Dirty Secrets from March 31 to April 11

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2021/shows/matt-harvey

Scout Boxall : Good Egg

Here is Colin’s review from Melbourne Fringe 2019:

Scout has the funny bones to pull off anything vaguely comedic with an ease and comfort on stage…

https://www.squirrelcomedy.com/?p=14366

Good Egg is on at Trades Hall from March 25 to April 4

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2021/shows/scout-boxall-good-egg

Southplayers: Completely Improvised Shakespeare

Here is Lisa’s review from Melbourne Fringe 2015:

A band of merrie players you can put your trust in for a fun night of storytelling and making stuffe up.

https://www.squirrelcomedy.com/?p=9433

Completely Improvised Shakespeare is on at Trades Hall from April 5 to 18
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2021/shows/soothplayers

 

Scout Boxall: Good Egg

By Colin Flaherty

Non binary comedian Scout Boxhall made their solo festival debut with Good Egg and word of mouth of it’s excellence spread quickly so that an extra performance was added in a bigger room to meet demand. After catching this last performance I can report that all the hype and award nomination was justified. This was a brilliant and hilarious show that delighted all in attendance.

Good Egg was a personally political show that didn’t aggressively push an agenda instead playfully poking fun at the comedian’s experiences, the current political climate and societal conventions. Scout regularly diverted down paths of daftness that managed to stick to the point being addressed while being hilariously ludicrous flights of fancy. You will never watch the Federal Budget or listen to the music of Enya the same way again.

In addition to amusing monologues Scout performed hysterial sketches using simple costuming to transform into various wacky characters. Some were presented in a blasé manner as if many ideas were being thrown at the wall to see what would stick but the quality was so consistently high that this on-stage second guessing seemed to be a ploy to keep us off balance. Scout has the funny bones to pull off anything vaguely comedic with an ease and comfort on stage proving that a number of years in straight theatre has prepared them well for the world of comedy.

Stuart Daulman’s directorial fingerprints were all over this show and he even made the odd guest appearance. Scout performed it with ease, fully committing to some absurdly long and uncomfortable set pieces to break through to the hilarity.

The sound design by James Collopy was an essential element to this performance. From the sound effect punchlines to the dry robotic quips, this was an auditory delight.

Good Egg is sure to get a reprisal in upcoming festivals so when it does, grab a ticket posthaste to witness this masterclass in performing a debut show.

Good Egg has finished its run.
https://melbournefringe.com.au/event/scout-boxall-good-egg/

The Raw Comedy National Grand Final 2018

By Hooi Khaw 

After judging more than 1000 entrants, Raw Comedy brings 12 national finalists to the stage to compete for the opportunity to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

The Raw Comedy National Grand Final is hosted by the amicable Ivan Aristeguieta who is warm and personable, and keeps the energy high for all of the contestants throughout the show.

Gavin Sempel starts the show, immediately getting the audience onside with commentary about his slender appearance, moving onto humorous anecdotes from his life. Having seen his set at the state finals, there is something in his delivery that is still joyfully entertaining to watch the second time around.

Sian Smyth follows next, with some polarizing punch lines. The topics span from social work, to porn, to Gandhi, and she provokes both cheers and groans from the audience at different points.

The third contestant is Jane New, whose distinctive stage persona could be easily attributed to nerves. She distinguishes herself as a writer, rather than a comedian, and she gets sprinkled laughter as the crowd warms to her particular brand of humour.

Alex Hall-Evans starts the second bracket speaking of sexiness, and his humour seems typically millennial. Hall-Evans interacts well with the crowd, and generously applies hyperbole to get the laughs.

Next up is Emma Holland who uses a paper fortuneteller to warm up the crowd. She succeeds with weirdly specific questions, and the genius is in the deliberately warped assumptions inherent in those questions. Holland then moves onto translating emojis for the crowd, and the explanations get progressively more absurd as she cycles through them.

Scout Boxall follows next, specializing in earnest set ups, which are then contrasted with on the nose absurdity. The laughs come from hitting the target of the criteria that Boxall has set, but also from the weird exploration of the themes, and the contrast between them. Boxall is a standout, closing her set with the only musical number of the show.

Bronwyn Kuss is deadpan in discussing body image and self esteem, but there is something unconvincing in the delivery that the audience struggles to relate to.

Next, Emo bursts onto the stage with a strong stage presence, interacting with the crowd, and mining themes of race, and sex for comedy. Although the material is not the most original from the night, Emo gets the crowd laughing with his charisma and classic jokes.

Ryan McArthur follows with his set focused on awkward experiences. The first example lands well, and the audience audibly relates. From there it starts to feel more like someone venting about experiences that they can’t let go of, and the audience is unwilling to follow McArthur down this path of indulgence.

Matthew Vasquez starts the last bracket with some racial humour relating to his South American heritage. Vasquez’s style is distinctive, in that he seems to say a punch line, and hold for applause or laughter. It’s surprising to see how often this pays off, and you can hear the audience catching up with Vasquez’s thoughts as pockets of laughter start bursting in the crowd during the pause.

Bec Melrose delivers one of the more varied sets of the night. With cleverly constructed jokes, Melrose explores issues of gender, politics, and productivity with a clear point of view.

The last contestant for the night is Kevin Jin, who speaks mostly about race and dating. Although these topics are frequently visited in stand up, Jin is still able to surprise and delight with his take on these. Jin has an affable style, and his comedy is easy to enjoy.

Without spoiling the big reveal for when the Raw Comedy National Grand Final is aired on SBS, it is safe to say that there was fierce competition this night, and throughout the state level heats. Although only one lucky winner gets the prize of a trip to Edinburgh, it’s clear that there is a bright future ahead of all of these brave, funny, and clever stand ups.

Raw Comedy National Grand Final was on April 15 at The Melbourne Town Hall.