Author: Colin

Nick Robertson : Everything That Happened At Number 68

By Peter Hodgson

From the second you step into the room for Nick Robinson’s show Everything That Happened At Number 68, you feel welcomed. Literally, because Nick has brought plenty of tea for everyone (“Earl Grey, for sluts”), and even cushions and blankets in case your butt doesn’t like the seats or you feel a bit chilly. There are even snacks. It’s such a literally inviting way to begin this show, which is a collection of stories from Robinson’s first share house experience.

Nick Robinson is endearing, confessional, kind and friendly, but also cheeky, occasionally-dark-but-for-just-a-second, and not afraid to throw in a way-too-personal detail or anecdote (this show has a whole section about who left their butt plug in the bathtub). That’s perfect for a show about the sexed-up, longnecks-and-cones vibe of a 20something share house. Sometimes Robinson is the protagonist of his stories, sometimes he’s an observer, and sometimes he’s dragged wildly between the two poles as his flatmates wreak youthful havoc around him.

Now, let’s make this clear: it’s not a ‘share house from hell’ story. It’s downright heartwarming in a lot of places. We get to know Robinson’s flatmates (including a bunny named George), their habits, their personalities, their quirks. And, helpfully, as each character is introduced, their photo is pinned up from a clothes line hanging across the stage. It’s a great device for people like me who have a hard time keeping up when I’m hearing a story about a bunch of strangers. It’s easy to remember who did what to whom because I can see their photos right there. Thanks Nick!

Occasionally Robinson will stumble over a phrase, rush to a punchline too soon and have to backtrack, or get a little verbally tangled. This would be an issue for most comedians but Robinson creates an environment that makes it completely okay, all from the very outset. It’s just part of the atmosphere, the confessional vibe, the relaxed inviting warmth of sharing stories.

I’ve seen Robinson a few times in recent years, at MICF and spots at comedy clubs. Every year he gets more assured and more bold in his storytelling, more ready to take chances and take big swings. Everything That Happened At Number 68 is a really fun show and very much worth your time, and it hints at the more self-assured comedian Robinson is on his way to becoming. He’s already hilarious but this show contains the seeds of something that has potential to grow to something really unique.

Nick Robertson performs Everything That Happened At Number 68 at The Chinese Museum until April 20

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/browse-shows/everything-that-happened-at-number-68/

Handful Of Bugs : Bigfoot: In Plain Sight

By Colin Flaherty

Bigfoot : In Plain Sight tells the story of Canadian Bigfoot enthusiast Robert H. McKinley. We witness the tale of his father Robert H. McKinley Senior – his encounters with this creature of mythology and the community that ridiculed him for what they saw as tall stories. Junior makes it his mission to prove that his father was right all along.

Those expecting a long comical slog through the forest in search of Bigfoot will be surprised that he encounters the cryptid quite early on, partly because the timeline jumps all over the place but mostly the beast just appears. Instead it becomes a hilarious quest to follow the trail left behind by his father and all the lunacy that encompasses.

Emerging from a tent in tighty whiteys, performer Alex Donnelly executes this one handed play perfectly. He mimes his way through all sorts of wacky situations and interacts with other characters using some brilliant vocal gymnastics and wonderful comical expressions. A pair of disbelieving local yokels are given plenty of stage time with their complicated menage a trios as they exchange banter at a breakneck pace that has Donnelly rapidly changing vocal and physical mannerisms expertly so that we can easily follow the conversation.

This tightly scripted piece manages to include some gentle audience interaction. These exchanges do not affect the plot in any way but cleverly relies on Melbourne audiences’ reluctance to participate – giving him nothing so that he can make a joke about their silence. I wonder how he handles an eager, vocal punter?

The soundtrack to this mayhem is a beautiful cacophony of cartoonish sound effects. Wacky soundbites of pop cultural voices pop up, adding to the craziness with some extra giggles. While this performance is primarily through mime, brilliant use of props feature throughout with some impressive hat acting. Some great visual spectacles happen in this onstage campsite that are milked for laughs as we marvel at the technical aspects.

This a brilliant show that had the audience in hysterics throughout and gasping at the huge bombshell of an ending. Lace on your hiking boots to ascend the many stairs of The Malthouse to witness this awesome show.

Bigfoot: In Plain Sight is on at The Malthouse until April 20

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/browse-shows/bigfoot-in-plain-sight/

Clara Cupcakes : Aspic – The Joys of Gelatinous Cooking & Home Maintenance: The Ultimate Guide to Womanhood

By Colin Flaherty

Perfect housewife and best selling author Clara Cupcakes has hit the big time landing her own television show. As part of the studio audience, we witness the pilot episode featuring, hopefully, famous guests and various gelatinous creations.

This is on odd period piece. Advertised as being set in 1974 with the Women’s Liberation Movement in full swing in the background somewhere. Our host however seems to be stuck in the 1950s in both appearance and demeanour, oblivious that full time housewife is a role that’s kinda on the way out. 2025 also kicks its way into this reality as we delight in Clara dealing with modern attitudes while interacting with the audience and looking confused when the younger folk fail to understand her references.

The world of Clara Cupcakes is a strange and often terrifying place. The repeated attempts at fetching her aspic masterpiece features creepy lighting and a loud visceral reaction from Clara. A number of surreal sequences left me scratching my head trying to understand the logic of it all. There was likely some symbolism I didn’t pick up on or the randomness is simply there to keep us on our toes.

Repetition plays a major role in the show with concepts often pushed to breaking point. A disturbing burlesque routine-cum-advertorial goes on and on and gets messier and messier until Clara is an exhausted wreck. Kitschy musical interludes introducing each segment play for slightly too long as we giggle watching her awkwardly dance along.

The larger than life Clara is a whirlwind of energy on stage. Everything is done in a hilarious frenzy and the props end up all over the place. She throws herself into silly mimes and some laughably bad impressions. When she does slow down, it’s to portray her wonderfully droll Grandmother with her indeterminate European accent.

She can be a rather monstrous character with terse exchanges when punters fail to perform the exact task to her vague gestures or correctly respond to her prompts. The increasing list of guests, each with someplace better to be, pushes her to breaking point before she explodes and lays bare the artifice of the show with some cheeky jibes at the theatrical world. There are several tragic tales from her family providing some darkness to the light and garnering empathy towards her.

Being the second show of the run, it was a little rough around the edges. We laughed at the obvious errors happening and not all the jokes landed. These are things that will be ironed out as the season progresses but it is already a fascinating show.

Aspic – The Joys of Gelatinous Cooking & Home Maintenance: The Ultimate Guide to Womanhood is on at The Motley Bauhaus until April 20

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/browse-shows/aspic/

Jenny Tian – Jenny’s Travels

By Colin Flaherty

Jenny’s Travels follows Jenny Tian as she embarks on a rite of passage for many comedians, leaving the rather limited career opportunities of Australia behind to seek their fortunes overseas. A long held wish to visit the United States was hit with administration issues and a pandemic which eventually led to her moving to London. We travel with her via this collection of amusing stories.

The anecdotes themselves cover familiar topics of people leaving the nest that makes them immensely relatable. We hear of her very protective mother’s disapproval of her heading to such a dangerous place. A story of settling for a peculiar housemate will click with everyone who has cohabited with a weirdo.

The show sometimes drifts off on asides that have a logic to them as they often clarify the main story. Others tales are inserted just for the hell of it, such as her need to explain why she’s freezing her eggs. Similarly an extended routine about intimate encounters feels a little shoehorned into the narrative but wins over the crowd regardless with its titillating shock of such racy material coming from the mouth of this nice young woman.

Audience interaction at the top of the show asks if anyone has moved their lives overseas. This resulted in some fascinating information from a gentleman who’d moved to Australia from North Korea via South Korea on this particular night. She added some witty quips but didn’t go much deeper. This seems as if it will have the same impact if it had just been a rhetorical question. Perhaps modern audiences have been trained to expect some crowd work in every show.

Jenny is a delightful performer who keeps the audience entranced throughout. This is a solid hour of storytelling stand up that has won over many fans as the packed Saturday night show, will attest.

Jenny’s Travels is on at the Melbourne Town Hall until April 20

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/browse-shows/jenny-s-travels/

Kate Dolan – The Critic

By Colin Flaherty

A lot of comedians, even the most successful ones, talk about having self doubt and some form of Imposter Syndrome during their career. Kate Dolan uses this widespread affliction as the basis of her show, employing a brilliant device as a counterpoint to the cheerful performer we see on stage.

Her inner dialogue pops up at various points in the performance: a voice possessing an accent that sounds appropriately thuggish. It offers performance tips (which Kate immediately ignores), tut tuts the lukewarm response to her A-material and wonders aloud if the audience are bright enough to appreciate the jokes. It is one hell of a tough taskmaster.

The material proper covers anecdotes from her life including her dating experiences, being en guard against would-be attackers, body image, shopping for a wedding dress and getting intimate with her partner. All seemingly fun, breezy topics upon which she expertly adds considerable heft. Some weight is applied via uncomfortably amusing dark turns that keep the punters on edge. A feminist subtext appears as she regularly lands killer punchlines by laying the boot into the Patriarchy. There is silliness galore, taking concepts to their daftest conclusion. Her brilliant witty wordplay is a treat for all the word nerds.

Kate is a loud and brash personality on stage delivering her material at a brisk clip. Lots of mugging and broad gestures drive the points home. Constantly on the move around the small stage, she’s a bundle of manic energy. A few prop gags go to a lot of effort for a laugh, giving her inner demon ammunition to taunt her.

Things calm down towards the end with a beautiful monologue set to a cosmic light show. It is here that we are allowed to catch our breaths as she seriously reflects on her troubling thought processes with the occasional amusing quip thrown in for relief. A little more levity follows to end things on a happy note, wrapping up a hilariously inventive variation on the stand up form. Bravo!

The Critic is on at Bard’s Apothecary until April 19

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/browse-shows/the-critic/

Scout Boxall – God’s Favourite

By Peter Hodgson

Have you ever had to white-knuckle a night without your meds? Scout Boxall definitely has. Boxall’s 2025 MICF show sees them face this dreaded dilemma in what’s gotta be one of the worst times and places to have to go through a mental health crisis: the night before a LARP wedding in regional Victoria, far away from precious Seroquel and getting deeper and deeper into the sort of stuff that your mind throws at you when you’re off your meds and getting into your medieval nun outfit.

This is the setting for a theatrical confessional that ponders the LARPy charms of medieval life verses what it really might have meant to be on the spectrum in the oldentimes. It could easily have gotten real dark and stayed that way, but Boxall expertly lifts us back up at the perfect moment, often with emphasis from the most utterly perfect sound and light cues. Sometimes it’s as subtle as a background light effect gently shifting with the story. Sometimes it’s a Scout-on-Scout conversation, or an atmospheric soundscape under a monologue, or a perfectly timed audio sting on a particular word. Boxall certainly doesn’t need all this stuff in order to be funny, but it sure is a treat to see this level of production after previously enjoying shorter standup sets at local shows.

Boxall has crafted a show that is relatable, intimate and sensitive, and which had me cackle-laughing, particularly at some of the specific references (Questacon, a certain type of jellybean, an infamous Scienceworks incident). It’s an ultimately uplifting story, beautifully punctuated with amazing atmospherics.

God’s Favourite is on at The Malthouse until April 20

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/browse-shows/scout-boxall-god-s-favourite/