Category: Festivals

Noah Szto – Med School

By Peter Newling

Sometime in the past, Noah Szto had to face an important choice: does he (a) continue with his training to become a doctor, or (b) continue with his passion to be a comedian. Thankfully he chose option (c) both.

In Med School, Szto takes us through the trials and tribulations of the trainee medico. He gives us an insider’s insight into what it’s like being a trainee doctor in a busy hospital – and the many “learning opportunities” (shit jobs) that entails. We’re with him as he faces the big question: “Why am I doing this?”

He does this through a combination of spoken word, and neatly crafted songs. He is equally adept at both. His songs display an impressive range of styles and influences, ranging from jazz to James Brown-esque gospel, to R&B and just a hint of Peter Allen.

At the microphone, Szto is confident, genuine and energetic. He exudes warmth and positivity. He’s just a really likeable guy. There are some lovely lower-energy moments in the hour as well – his reflections on family and cultural expectations of young people are quite lovely.

All this is backed up by an impressive tech plot. The visual effects, lighting shifts and prerecorded sound elements reek of professionalism. Big shout out to the tech operator, who managed a complex plot with total precision.

The show builds to an unusual ending. I think this is the first time I’ve attended a show with a warning that reads: “Audience, please note: This show contains a Medical Procedure”. I’m not going to tell you what it is, but take my word for it, it’s absolutely worthwhile. And the final song, done as something of an encore, is vibrant, camp, and sends us out buzzing.

Szto was last year’s winner of the MICF’s Best Newcomer Award. This year’s offering shows no signs of awkward-second-show syndrome. If you like musical theatre, and a show that makes you laugh and wince in equal measure, this could be just the show for you.

Noah Szto – Med School is playing until April 20 in the Gandel Lab at ACMI, at 9:15pm and 8:15pm on Sundays. Tickets through https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/browse-shows/med-school/

Josh Glanc – Family Man

By Nick Bugeja

Josh Glanc has been a staple at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival for years, producing frenzied, incoherent (in the best sense of the term), and absurdist shows for those open-minded enough to veer away from traditional stand-up.

Consistent with his past shows, Glanc’s Family Man embraces the ridiculous and the ludicrous, at the expense of conventions and norms, to great effect. Glanc (pronounced ‘Glance’ and not ‘Glank’) mixes together musical theatre, skits, vignettes, callbacks, multiple character transformations (a memorable French photographer and old man stand out), breaking the fourth wall, and audience participation (quite a lot of audience participation) to deliver an engrossing and regularly hilarious performance.

If you tuned into the MICF Gala, you saw a sanitised, diluted version of Glanc’s best bits and performance, clearly in an attempt to appeal to the broadest audience possible. In Family Man, the strangeness and absurdity which defines Glanc’s work is on full display, and optimally realised to leave his audience in stitches. There are times during the show which serve as a kind of interlude or interruption of laughter, including some of the singing parts, though moments of laughter are just around the corner.

Josh Glanc performs Family Man at The Chinese Museum until April 20.

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/browse-shows/family-man-2/

Dan Rath – Tropical Depression

By Nick Bugeja

Dan Rath hits familiar beats and rhythms in his latest show, Tropical Depression, with his idiosyncratic and neurotic signature comedic style. By any measure, Rath should still be confined to the category of one of Australia’s up and coming comedy stars, but in reality he’s already risen to the top echelons of the country’s comedic hierarchy. One indicator of this is that, every time I’ve attended one of his shows, you can spot other comedians in the audience, a testament to the high regard he is held in by his compatriots.

Rath’s persona on the stage is the opposite: he is relentlessly self-deprecating and defeated, and several of his jokes and bits revolve around his abject failures to make anything of his life. Other jokes jolt the audience into laughter due to their sheer randomness (often these contain references to Australian franchises like Boost Juice or JB-Hi-Fi). Rath is at his best combining his self-deprecation with social commentary, which in equal parts is completely left-field while retaining a semblance of truth to it.

For those yet to attend one of Rath’s shows, you should not delay this any further. With Tropical Depression, he continues to push the boundaries of stand-up comedy and in the process delivers a great night of laughs, even if he still remains down on himself.

Dan Rath performs Tropical Depression at The Swiss Club til April 20

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/browse-shows/tropical-depression/

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/

Jude Perl – Jude Perl tries to finish a sentence.   

By Lisa Clark                                                                                             

Words eh? You can go through life thinking your hat is red and then one day your friend will say it’s pink and you start to question your ability to discern colour and it may escalate to the point that you never speak to each other again. Sometimes you can’t finish a sentence because you can be so caught up in the anxiety of how it may be perceived. Jude has written a complex cabaret show about her life’s trade which is exploring and playing with words and ideas.

Jude Perl is one of the most talented cabaret artists in the country. Last year she created and performed a musical called Share House: The Musical with a cast of five that was one of the funniest, and most endearing productions about depression I’ve ever seen. You could watch it as a wacky comedy show about a share house and friendship or be moved on a completely different level by the searing allegory and enjoy it for that as well.

This year’s show is about the unspeakable, the inability to say certain words or express your beliefs in case they are misinterpreted, confused or angrily rejected. It’s also about all the words that stay in your mind (ad jingles and bad song lyrics) when it could be full of more useful stuff that might actually help you get through life, but you have no choice. It is framed by an in-depth celebrity type interview with a disembodied voice called Anabel Cramp. Jude tells funny stories about life at band camp and as a wedding musician and in therapy with Dr Haddish.

A lot of Jude’s humour relies on the audience being familiar with popular culture such as pop songs and television. The funniest song in the show is about a guilty pleasure; a trashy unloved 90s sitcom she enjoys while everyone else bangs on about Friends. She knows it’s an unpopular point of view and puts her case that both shows have characters with bad behaviour and questionable values, but that her favoured show explores and deals with them better than Friends. Sometimes it feels so confusing that such a huge amount of people can love something that you just cannot agree with.

Jude Perl tries to finish a sentence is a comic play with fabulous songs. The songs are gorgeous, funny and moving. She plays them all on a grand piano and the vibe of the show is very intimate, off Broadway in the classy surrounds of The Arts Centre, albeit hidden down in the bowels away from the main  theatres. It’s definitely worth venturing into the deep with the amazing soon to be superstar Jude Perl.

Note:  Jude Perl is on at a new theatre space at the Arts Centre on the third floor which turns out to be down below the Arts centre, that you need a lift to get down to. Be aware that at the end of the show you will be herded up 3 flights of back stairs to the street. Let the usher know if you have difficulties climbing stairs.

Jude Perl tries to finish a sentence is on at the Arts Centre til April 20.

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/browse-shows/jude-perl-tries-to-finish-a-sentence/

Chloe Petts – How You See Me, How You Don’t

By Lisa Clark

Without hardly trying, Chloe got every comedian’s dream – their own show on TV, even more, she also got every sports lovers dream show, she was hosting her own sports show on a sports channel on TV. She was having a ball until she was attacked by the online trolls. People who didn’t know her were criticising her for her voice, her looks, her gender and her sexuality, when like us all she’s still trying to work herself out. Though she’s not wringing her hands or weeping at us about it, it has clearly been a very disturbing experience for someone who was never bullied about such things at school.

Chloe opens the show with an amusing glossary, a list of unusual terms that will appear in the show, giving us their meaning, so that we all understand them when they happen. As she explains the terms, the glossary starts to bleed into the show proper in which she braids several stories and ideas together, including tales from highschool contrasting with tales from her job in television. When the words from the glossary appear, they get a laugh despite not always being part of a punchline.

Chloe Petts has a very jolly, friendly demeanour, promising a “loose night” but as someone who has wrangled crowds in the UK, she is extremely adept at crowd work and dealing with any potential trouble makers. No one messes with Chloe, which could be why she was not bullied at school. She and her friendliness keep everyone onside, even when picking on audience members that might be getting a little boisterous, and her wit and dry humour keep the audience laughing.

Chloe Petts performs How You See Me, How You Don’t at the Melbourne Town Hall til April 20.

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/browse-shows/chloe-petts/