Category: Festivals

Tom Gleeson’s Hello Bitches

By Luke Simmons

Tom Gleeson has been the staple in the Australian comedy diet throughout the last 10 years and this night’s performance demonstrated that he’s currently on the top of his game.  Rather than calling his show Hello Bitches, he could easily have called it, “I’m getting old!!!”

The night started with a lengthy and entertaining session of banter with the crowd.   Many performers would not choose to open with this, but Gleeson’s a quick thinker and turned even the most mundane of nuggets of crowd input into laughs.

Without a hint of jealousy, he started by targeting hipsters who have the audacity to wear their hair long on top – when he’s clearly a bit patchy in that area.  To Gleeson’s credit, he’s able to take the piss out of his aging body and sexual prowess (or lack thereof) in a charming sort of way.

Anyone who can draw a parallel between changing nappies and strippers without drawing groans is to be commended.  And a certain DIY technique that some strippers (perhaps) perform on themselves proved to bring out the loudest laughs throughout the show.

Things then got a bit philosophical as he outlined his views of the afterlife (see: none) and how much he loves the church (see: sarcasm).  He presents his case from a logical viewpoint and, based on the crowd reaction, he had everyone except for one on his side.  Yes, there was a solitary walk out when he took aim at Christianity.  Their loss.

After a pseudo ending, he returned to the stage for a long and disjointed feedback session with the crowd.  Sensing the quietness in the air, he then closed strongly with an agonising tale about his baby’s immunisation.

For the vast majority of the show, Gleeson had the audience laughing at volume.  Although he’s getting older, there’s plenty of funny stuff left in this performer.

 

Tom Gleeson’s Hello Bitches at the Melbourne Town Hall

http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2013/season/shows/hello-bitches-tom-gleeson

Lawrence Leung’s Part-time Detective Agency

by Elyce Phillips

In past comedy festival shows, we have seen Lawrence Leung breakdance, solve Rubik’s cubes and teach us about the many benefits of jetpacks. Now, taking inspiration from Jason Schwartzman’s character in ‘Bored to Death’ and the BBC’s reboot of Sherlock Holmes, Leung has decided to try his hand at becoming a detective. The resulting hour of comedy has as many twists, turns and surprises as any Raymond Chandler novel.

Leung impresses with his well-honed skills of deduction – well, he was outwitted by a couple of audience members on this occasion, but assured us all that he usually gets it right – and after a failed attempt to find cases online a la Jonathan Ames, Leung turns to a great unsolved mystery of his youth. As a team of detective assistants, we learn about tells and interrogation as we all attempt to find the culprit. When it comes to the narrative content of the show, the less said the better. Some of the best moments of the show really need to be a surprise. I can’t stress that enough. If you see this show (and you should), don’t go spoiling it!

The night I attended, the room was sold out and the atmosphere was wonderful. Leung has a great conversational style that really draws you in. There’s a little audience participation, but it’s always in the spirit of fun – even if the couple he got up on stage were terribly nervous. His use of multimedia is slick and adds to the show in a wonderful way.  The ‘Law & Order’ sound effect was used effectively and with remarkable restraint.

‘Part-Time Detective Agency’ is smart, charming and very, very funny – everything that we’ve come to expect from a Lawrence Leung festival show. If you’re a fan of his past work, you really don’t want to miss this one.

Lawrence Leung’s Part-Time Detective Agency is on at the Swiss Club until April 21.

http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2013/season/shows/part-time-detective-agency-lawrence-leung-s

Lime Champions’ Nightmare Tales

By Elyce Phillips

Josh Earl, Damien Lawlor and Kirsten Law of 3RR’s Lime Champions have put together a suitably left-of-field collection of sketches in Lime Champions’ Nightmare Tales. The conceit of the show is that the audience has fallen asleep immediately upon entering the venue and what we witness are a series of night terrors. What ensue are five Twilight Zone-esque tales designed to amuse and terrify.

The combination of horror and humour was interesting and worked with varying degrees of success. Nightmare Tales isn’t a laugh-a-minute kind of show. Every now and then, the stories will take an unexpectedly dark turn and this made the audience uneasy – but I suspect this is what the team was after.

Like any sketch show, some of the sketches worked better than others. The shorter, snappier stories in the middle of show had a tendency to be more comedy-minded. Lawlor’s solo piece wherein he attempts to call an automated phone sex hotline was far and away my pick of the bunch. The final sketch, involving a rather extensive poop joke had its moments, but wasn’t a great way to close out the night. The atmosphere in the room flagged a little in the more ‘serious’ parts of the stories, but when it came around to the comedy, these guys shone. The trio work well together and there were some nice gags played out with some pre-recorded material.

‘Nightmare Tales’ started out as part of the Fringe Festival and it’s probably best to view it in that mindset. It’s not “hard comedy” like many shows in the Comedy Festival. If you’re looking for something a little different, Lime Champions’ Nightmare Tales could be the show for you. It’s a quirky and creepy offering from some talented local comedians.

Lime Champions’ Nightmare Tales is on in the Lunch Room at Melbourne Town Hall, Mondays until April 15.
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2013/season/shows/nightmare-tales-lime-champions

Greg Fleet The Boy who Cried Sober

By Jayden Edwards

So is Fleety still on drugs? It’s the question Greg Fleet cleverly embeds in his audiences’ head from the get go of ‘The boy who cried sober’.

In this new show, Greg revisits his highly esteemed ‘Ten Years in a long sleeve shirt’ during which he addressed his long held addiction to Heroin and how he overcame it. The only problem with that show, as he explains in this one, is that he was mostly high as a kite while performing it.

This year, we see the real Fleety, he bares his sole, telling amazing tales of the hairy situations his addiction lead him to, the shame of letting down anyone he ever had a decent relationship with and the ridiculous lengths he went to, to score; like borrowing $100 from an audience member and never paying them back!

Mixed in with the life changing stuff are some of the down right stupid/hilarious things he did while using, the best of which involves his stint in breakfast radio. Greg’s lived a colorful life that’s for sure, and as sad as it is, users really do have the best stories.

The stories themselves are incredible to hear, but mix that with Greg’s masterful, relaxed yet passionate storytelling style and you’ll find yourself enthralled, entertained and laughing all at once; 30 years in the biz is truly evident.

Thrown in the mix is some general topical stand up told in true Fleety style plus some theatrical pieces that are maybe a little pretentious, but take nothing away.

Greg noted that he felt his earlier audience went away feeling like they’d been to an anti-drug seminar, but there were no signs of that here. This is just deep, entertaining storytelling told by a national comic treasure who deserves to be held in much higher esteem.

But is he still on drugs?

Greg Fleet’s The Boy who Cried Sober is on at The Melbourne Town Hall
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2013/season/shows/the-boy-that-cried-sober-greg-fleet

Fan Fiction Comedy

By Lisa Clark

Wil Anderson was smart enough last year to spot a bunch of funny young comedians with the fabulous concept of performing fan fiction live and organised to get them over to Melbourne to share their passions with us. After a very successful run they are back this year and if you know what it’s like to be really into something so much you want to share that love with other people you’ll love this show. Each show is different, with different stories and different special guests, so there are no spoilers here.

Fanfiction comedy has some special one-topic nights such as their Harry Potter night which is great for Harry Potter fans, but generally it’s a bit of a Pot Luck with every performer bringing their own taste to the table. Luckily, even if you are not familiar with one performer’s passion, the stories are usually entertaining for everyone. There are two guest comedians in each show of five stories and we were lucky enough to have Justin Hamilton and Claire Hooper.

Justin, with absolutely no surprise to anyone who knows anything about him, brought us some Dark Knight fan fiction and dark it was too. The joy was barely contained as he made himself the hero in his tale of The Silent Knight. He had the music from the film playing gently underneath his reading at the perfect sound level, He seemed to rush a little, out of excitement perhaps or in that way a nerd rushes to tell you about what they love because they are a little worried they might be boring you and you’ll turn away. Perhaps he was worried that he was playing it straight rather than for laughs. But thankfully there are no rules at FanFiction. As long as it’s entertaining and that it certainly was.

Claire Hooper was a revelation with her sexy Lord of the Rings fan fiction playfully milking a lot of the double entendres with wide-eyed feigned innocence and perfect timing. Claire put a character in the action that sounded remarkably like herself and when it got hot and heavy, it was cute to see Hammo blushing in the background. The story was a hilarious romp from start to finish and Claire had everyone, especially the Lord of the Rings fans, in fits.
The other three storytellers were from the New Zealand team and they were all bloody fabulous too. Joseph Moore did a Rom-com satire using Transformers. Optimus Prime as the hero in a love triangle with Megan Fox and Megatron. The story was littered with funny and clever asides about transformer behaviour and their social etiquette.

Heidi O’Loughlin took us by surprise with some cleverly crafted chronicles about the Nokia mobile phone game of Snake 2. Snake was given a winding backstory that led beautifully to his inevitable ending.
The final fiction was about Harry Potter as told by Tom Furniss who was not a fan of the Potter world. Although it failed in fawning to the dyed in the wool Potter fans, it succeeded as an anti-homophobia fable. It also proved that Fanfiction might often be about children’s fiction, but you probably shouldn’t bring children along.

The host of the hour was the charming Eli Matthewson and there were two judges Joseph Harper, and Steven Boyce on the sidelines giving their thoughts to proceedings, though they seemed fairly unnecessary because the audience were the ultimate judges and they pretty much enjoyed everything.

This has been a popular addition to The Melbourne Comedy Festival scene and the regulars have been making a lot of new fans. It’s also another way to see some of your favourite comedians having fun away from their own shows. Everybody puts their heart and best effort into it and it pays off for performers and audience alike. Best of all Hammo will be returning each Sunday with parts two and three of his Dark Knight Trilogy.

Fan Fiction Comedy is on at the Victoria Hotel
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2013/season/shows/fanfiction-comedy

Mel Buttle – HOW EMBARRASSMENT

By Jayden Edwards

If nothing else, Brisbane Gen Y’er Mel Buttle is, unique. She’s young, kooky, energetic and so comfortable with her own embarrassment, that she’s taken it out for lunch, tamed it and made it her bitch in her new show ‘How embarrassment’.

Since being nominated for Best newcomer at the 2010 festival, Mel has gone from strength to strength with critically acclaimed shows, her popular podcast ‘The Miniutes’, awards, gigs on triple j and other stations plus a bunch of comedy writing. It’s clear the people dig her style, and there’s a bunch more of it in this show.

Donning a sensible nana cardigan, frizzy hair and vintage woolen skirt, Mel is hardly your typical young woman. But don’t let the get-up fool you, she’s as feisty and sarcastic as the best of them. This brilliant mash up of conservatism and brashness makes for a barrel of laughs, and just propels her material further. Style comparisons with a young Judith Lucy are pretty spot on.

In ‘How Embarrassment’, we learn just what made Mel the way she is. She dissects her only-child childhood, the far from perfect parenting skills of the separated Mr and Mrs Buttle and a brigade of misfit elders and school yard chums, all factors that helped and hindered her upbringing.

Scattered throughout this journey are self-deprecating tales of embarrassment with just the right amount of vulnerability that’ll have you laughing at her and with her. Her tales are mostly from childhood so their apparent insignificance bundled with the gravitas she puts behind them, and use of omg totz lame buzzwords, makes for big laughs!

Her tales are coated in her own trademark bizarreness, yet are still relatable. It can boarder on alienation a little bit when she gets on a tangent, but things are back on track soon enough. The best and final part of the show is her Golden Girls inspired sex fantasy script reading. Yep, it’s something.

‘How Embarrassment’ is golden, girl!

Mel is on at The Victoria Hotel – Acacia Room
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2013/season/shows/how-embarrassment-mel-buttle