Category: Festivals

5 Good Reasons to see Wordgasm Smackdown

5 Good Reasons to see… Wordgasm Smackdown

1. Because it’s free, it’s furious and it’s fourteen flavours of fun

2. Because a little verbal blood-letting is good for the polysyllabic soul

3. Because nobody throws down like a word nerd who has just finished krumping to Busta Rhymes

4. Because a Friday night out at the Fringe isn’t complete until you’ve become part of a baying crowd with an ice-cold beer in your hand and a killer instinct in your heart

5. Some of Melbourne’s best alternative comics, poets and clowns, a killer soundtrack of thumping hip hop and some of the most inventive dissing this side of the beyond? Word up

Wordgasm Smackdown is a verbal Comedy Fight Club Curated and Directed by Poet Laureate Telia Nevile

It’s on at The Tuxedo Cat at 10.55pm on Fridays during Melbourne Fringe
http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/wordgasm-smackdown/

MELBOURNE FRINGE FESTIVAL 2013

By Lisa Clark

Spring has sprung, Melbourne is sparkling, our eyes are itchy and that means it’s time to get ready for the Melbourne Fringe Festival. Melbourne Fringe is an open-access, multi-arts Festival, that actively encourages diversity and is thus a great space for performers to experiment with new and unconventional ideas. The Festival encompasses theatre, music, circus, magic, furniture design, art and craft and more, but here at Squirrel Comedy we are nuts about comedy and thus we will be covering the comedy side of things which is pretty big. Some comedians use Fringe to reprise a successful Melbourne International Comedy Festival show (often new and improved versions) and others to give a new show a run leading up to next year’s MICF. There are wacky one off shows that can only be seen at Fringe and you never know when you’ll make a delightful surprising new discovery, as we did with Slutmonster and Friends last year. So it’s always worth going out of your comfort zone to try something new. Hey that is why Fringe exists!

There is so much comedy to choose from and it is our job to give you a hand as you make your way through the Fringe programme. Below are links to all the shows we’ve previously reviewed, many of which will have been tweaked and improved since their last outing and that’s followed by some recommendations for shows we’ve seen and/or are excited by. As usual we’ll be publishing ‘5 Good Reasons to see…’ leading up to the the festival and reviewing shows throughout.

Shows at Melbourne Fringe that Have Been Previously Reviewed by Squirrel Comedy.

Barry Morgan: Organ Is Not a Dirty Word
Squirrel Review: https://www.squirrelcomedy.com/?p=3986
Barry Morgan is playing his magnificent organ at the Lithuanian Club at 7:30pm
http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/barry-morgan-organ-is-not-a-dirty-word/

Lessons With Luis Famoucity!
Squirrel Review :  https://www.squirrelcomedy.com/?p=3372
Famoucity is playing at The Butterfly Club at 7pm
http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/lessons-with-luis-famoucity/

Luke McGregor – My Soulmate is Out of My League  [Winner of The Best Newcomer at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival]
Squirrel Review :  https://www.squirrelcomedy.com/?p=3389
It’s playing at The Loft, Lithuanian Club at 9.15pm
http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/luke-mc-gregor-my-soul-mate-is-out-of-my-league/

Khalad Khalafalla – Devious
Squirrel Review :  https://www.squirrelcomedy.com/?p=3810
Devious is Playing Upstairs at Errol’s at 10.30pm
http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/khaled-kalafalla-encore/

Michael Burke in Cubehead
Squirrel Review : https://www.squirrelcomedy.com/?p=4134
Cubehead is playing at The Tuxedo Cat – The Jackle at 7.00pm
http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/michael-burke-in-cubehead/

Nob Happy Sock – Simon Keck [Winner of The Golden Gibbo at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival]
Squirrel Review: https://www.squirrelcomedy.com/?p=3550
It’s on at Son of Loft, Lithuanian Club at 6.30pm
http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/nob-happy-sock/

Political Asylum
Squirrel Review: https://www.squirrelcomedy.com/?p=3785
Political Asylum is on at the Festival Club (North Melbourne Town Hall) on 1/10 at 9:30pm
http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/political-asylum/

Satan’s Finest – Mitch Alexander & Jackson Voorhaar
Squirrel Review: https://www.squirrelcomedy.com/?p=3889
Satan’s Finest is on at the Tuxedo Cat at 9:30pm
http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/satan-s-finest/

Other recommended shows at the 2013 Melbourne Fringe.

Lisa-Skye – Songs my Parents told me

was a delightfully warm biographical story show that somehow missed out on a review during MICF. Lisa-Skye lovingly explores her parent’s generation and how it compares to and influences her own creative and interesting life. Lisa-Skye is just back from her first trip as a performer in Edinburgh, she should be on top form. It will be on at The Tuxedo Cat – The Jackle

Lisa-Skye will also be hosting a late night chat show at The Tuxedo Cat called Art Sex and Snacks, she will be interviewing performers about their craft.

http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/songs-my-parents-taught-me/

http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/art-sex-and-snacks/

Sammy J’s 50 Year Show 

which is a deliriously silly idea of Sammy’s to perform one big long show in parts, once every five years, for 50 years. I attended the 1st part five years ago and it was a whole bunch of crazy fun in the packed North Melbourne Town Hall. Many projects were begun by guest comedians that will be repeated or added to and the time capsule will be opened. One Night Only! Don’t miss it or you’ll have to wait another five years.

http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/sammy-j-presents-the-50-year-show/

Comedy Pick and Mix 

is a one off Festival Club night curated by Melbourne comedy goddess Janet A McLeod and hosted by Andy McClelland and Oliver Clark in their personas of El Grande and Mr Nightlights. A creative mix of performers creating all sorts of mayhem and hopefully at some point El Grande will be tipping pot pouri down Mr Nightlights underpants. You won’t want to miss that.

http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/comedy-pick-n-mix/

The Experiment curated by Asher Treleaven. 

A late night show at The Lithuanian Club during Fringe showcasing a great line up
of alternative comedy acts encouraged to take risks. There will be an air of competition to the show and the comedians will be competing with small dogs. I will leave it to Asher to explain:

“Each show I’m inviting members of the public to bring their small dogs to compete with the acts so we can finally discover whether Melbourne’s best Alternative comedians are more entertaining than a small dog. There will be a $15 prize for best small dog and at the end of the show the audience will judge who has been more entertaining. There will be excellent comedy, sketches and music but its mainly about ze dog”

Hopefully there will be a pooper scooper on hand in case of nerves.

http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/the-experiment/

Tony Martin – The Yeti 

Probably the most highly anticipated show at this year’s (maybe any years!) Melbourne Fringe Festival. I don’t know if Tony has ever performed a solo festival show before and although he has recently tread the boards as a guest at The Shelf. it’s been a long time since he’s performed in his own festival show. This will be a narrative drawn from his autobiographical novel  Lollyscramble. A book that had me laughing out loud on public transport. Tony is what’s known as a ‘comedian’s comedian’ with a huge following so tickets are bound to sell out. He’s at The Butterfly Club.

http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/tony-martin-the-yeti/

Minnie and Mona Play Dead

By Ron Bingham

While this West Australian play is described as being a black comedy about suicide, I found a lot of suicide but very little comedy. The few comic moments during the show were like tiny lights in a sea of darkness, doing little but giving the darkness more power, especially as the comic moments seemed more to do with the manic part of a manic depressive cycle.

Minnie (Gita Bezard) and Mona (Arielle Gray) are friends. They play imagination games. I couldn’t tell how old they were meant to be (most of the games were very childish, apart from the sex/dating ones) or why they were trapped together (perhaps two aspects of one personality inside a person’s head?). The play also has them breaking the fourth wall to talk to us as the writer (Jeff) and director (Katt) of the show, telling us their stories of how their friends killed themselves. The audience is invited to leave at any time if they feel uncomfortable (no-one did).

This is definitely not a show for people looking to have a laugh at the concept of death, or finding answers to how to cope with the loss of a loved one. I’m not really sure who the play is aimed at, unless there are people who enjoy watching other people breaking down? It was well written and acted but I was not the target audience in any way shape or form.

Minnie and Mona Play Dead is on at Underbelly, Bristo Square at 2.00pm

For Bookings https://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/theatre/minnie-and-mona-play-dead

Farce Noir presents …The Big Sheep

By Ron Bingham

Four actors, all trying to outplay each other on stage, to impress a big agent who is in the audience tonight. The lead actor fancies his love interest, who has just spurned him and the other two are just trying to showcase their many skills.

Meanwhile, the cast are performing an energetic screwball parody of the film noir genre involving the case of a hardbitten detective (Foot of ‘Lost Property’), his business partner, identical twin ladies, a megalomaniac baron and an evil murderess, not to mention the a killer beast, which is hinted at in the title of the show.

The play has a number of simple but effective props, a well written couple of story lines (both inside the play and in the actor’s outside lives – it’s all very meta) and some very funny and clever dialogue. The only worrying thing for me was that the audience is just inches away from the performers and I feared for my life during the sword fight!

If you love old detective films or you are just looking for an hour of wild yet structured comedy play-acting, you should add this to your list. The players all looked and acted their parts well and the almost full house were laughing heartily throughout the show.

The Big Sheep is on at Underbelly, Bristo Square ​ at 4.05pm

For Bookings https://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/comedy/farce-noir-presents-the-big-sheep

Vikki Stone – Definitely

By Ron Bingham

Another new performer for me, Vikki Stone is a comedian who plays the piano and sings songs but she does so much more than that. The show starts with the greatest ever motherf*cker opening song, with smoke machines, dance routines, costume changes and impressive stage props. Never have camel toes looked so elegant (on the camel, I mean).

The rest of the evenings entertainment consists of Vikki travelling on a Simon Cowell inspired journey towards fame, via the medium of songs about sexy scientist Brian Cox, iconic sports presenter Clare Balding, the trials and eating habits of her dog Bert and the messy subject of dog poo in plastic bags. The finale was a finely piece of cinema, with dancing dogs (which is the point where Vikki almost lost it, due to the unexpected dancing skills of the dog for the evening), choirs, fireworks, projected schmaltz and so much more.

This is an excellent and finely honed hour of entertainment that had the (almost) full house in stitches for the whole show. The props are suitably over the top and the songs are well written and quite rude in places (I wonder how Brian and Clare would feel if they happened to show up one night? That would be worth seeing). If you love risque entertainment from a lady who isn’t afraid to go just that little bit too far in search of a laugh, or dogs, or ridiculously overproduced showtunes (a la Simon Cowell’s entire ouvre), then see this show, but get your tickets now.

Vikki Stone performs Definitely at Underbelly Bristow Square at 7.20pm

For bookings and info: https://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/comedy/vikki-stone-definitely

Hunt & Darton – Cafe

By Ron Bingham

This is both a performance art space and a real cafe, with proper cooked food and drinks available. I was first drawn in when I happened to walk past the cafe and noticed the hosts wearing flowers of broccoli on their heads. Even in Edinburgh, that’s a hard sight not to want to comment upon. After a chat with one of the ladies, I promised to return the next day (when I had some free time), and…

Saturday afternoon, after a brisk trip up Arthur’s Seat, I entered into the cafe at about 1.30pm. I was immediately greeted by hosts Jenny & Holly, given a name tag and pointed to a table, where I was introduced to the other patrons. Just after I arrived a raffle was held, where the free tickets could win someone the pick of a table of tinned food and other delicacies. There were games, records being played as the background music, toys, jigsaws, daily themes, bingo, fascinating things to see on the walls and around the room, celebrity waiting staff (from other shows, some of which return in the evening to play in the room) and the highlight of our day, a sugar sandwich making competition, where the best sandwich concept wins a prize. My table came second, with our gingivitis ruined tooth, which sadly collapsed during the movement test. The fifteen or so different judging categories allowed time for some of the tables to become very competitive and critical of any negative scores.

All up, I spent well over two hours here just joining in the fun and meeting lovely people. Some people are in love with the cafe so much that they end up spending their whole day there (it runs from 10am to 5pm every day of the fest, except Monday) and it’s free to visit. If you’re looking for a stress free time in the company of delightful people (all ages, from little kids to big ones), then this is the perfect place to just come and hang out for a rest. You never know, if you’re lucky someone might just buy a trifle for the whole cafe (£10 – I went halves with someone). This cafe was running during last year’s festival as well, but I missed it. Holly and Jenny also have their (not free) show in the evenings in the same venue, but I was sadly unable to make that. Still, that’s top of my list for next year.

The Hunt and Dart Cafe is open for all from 10am – 5pm at 17-21 St Mary’s St near The Pleasance

It’s free to enter and you don’t have to book.

For more info: https://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/theatre/hunt-darton-cafe