Category: MICF 2019

Space Force by Flat Pack

By Lisa Clark

Space Force is not a very political show but makes no bones about the fact that it was inspired by Trump’s idea and became an exploration of what might happen if Australia followed suit? It opens with the audience being trained as recruits for the new Australian Space Force and there began a running gag in the show.

The 5 talented, confident performers Ella Lawry, Georgie Daniels, Isabelle Knight, Madi Savage and Millie Holten, have had experience in uni reviews, which shows, and impro such as Improvised Shakespeare. There is certainly a vibe of an old fashioned uni review here, which is in no way a bad thing as so many famous comedians learn great skills this way. Each scene ends in a blackout (often for no really solid reason) and many with a round of applause. Only one scene change, the setting up for the restaurant scene, which is a little long, is covered by one of the members doing some musical comedy on the ukulele and this ended up being a highlight of the show for me, especially when there was a bit of a prop drop and she was able to improvise some laughs out of it without batting an eye. The scene changes could easily be dropped and the show could be a straight narrative which would make for a smoother running show.

What takes Space Force above the average uni review style show is that every one of the performers is uniquely comedically talented, and also that more money and effort has been put into the impressive props and costumes. There is also a delightful and unusual sense that this has not been completely bourne out of impro and faffing about, but rather much has been script written, containing a lot of funny lines and thoughtful weirdness. Not all the ideas land, of course, but the ratio of laughs is pretty high.

The restaurant scene was the hardest to pull off in every way. Farce is hard and requires very fine skills and the tightest of timing. The performers clearly know all ingredients but like the scene they are performing are throwing them around a bit willy nilly hoping they will stick. They don’t quite get there, but hopefully will learn and improve with each performance and it’s still pretty entertaining to watch. A warning, if you sit in the front row you might get wet, and not just with water.

The young women of the SS OZ give me hope for the future of comedy, particularly sketch comedy and I can see some of them becoming the comedy stars of tomorrow. So why not join Flat Pack and see them before they are famous?

Space Force is on at TIC Swanston, on the corner of Flinders Lane and Swanston,  (The Nicholas Building) take the lift to the 5th floor and follow the signs.

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2019/shows/space-force-au

5 Good Reasons To See Stark and Dormy

1. We’re quite sure this is the first time an Alien invasion puppet show will be part of the rather stoic and serious proceedings at The Coopers Malthouse.

2. Because Bunk Puppets invented 3D Shadow Puppetry… and we’re quite sure this is the first time a 3D Alien Shadow Puppet show with be part of the rather stoic and serious proceedings at The Coopers Malthouse.

3. To watch two grown men play with delicious puppets and act like hilarious fools.

4. To meet your yearly quota of watching riveting Russian accents on stage.

5. Have you ever wondered what Zebra tastes like? Or albino Orangutan? Come find out.

Stark and Dormy is on at The Coopers Malthouse until April 21
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2019/shows/stark-and-dormy

Stuart Daulman : Masterclass

By Colin Flaherty

“Comedy genius” Stuart Daulman (Steve Bennett wrote it so it must be true!) presented a seminar detailing all that’s required to survive in the comedy game. If you’re expecting serious comedic writing tips you’re better off seeking the services of someone like Tim Ferguson. While he did cover stagecraft this was mostly about The Hustle, neediness and backstabbing that goes on.

This was an ambitious performance where, in true Daulman fashion, he fully committed to the concept. As lecturer he played it completely straight with plenty of business mantra chanting and constant requests for networking opportunites. The war stories got chuckles of recognition as did the familiar elements of festival shows.

Daulman’s delivery suited the piece and cleverly blurred the line of what was lighthearted joking and heart wrenching anger. A live phone call to his mum was a stilted awkward affair that was accurate rather than funny which may or may not have been the point. His descriptions of the humiliating process of ‘putting yourself out there’ and chasing a career in the arts was bleak comedy at it’s best.

Jake Ludowyke handled all AV duties using a delightfully old school overhead projector. The text shown on the slides was wonderfully excessive to give some context for those outside the industry (if you could read quickly enough that is) while having fun with Powerpoint sins. He showed many actual photos and posts from Stu’s social media as well as carefully selected quotes from show reviews (former Squirrel Elyce Phillips got a mention, umm… hooray?). Particularly adorable was the lo-fi animations using transparencies which when combined with bombastic music was hilarious. Ludowyke’s role was so much more, regularly acting as cheerleader for the audience to provoke reactions.

The finale was a demonstration of this master performer at work.  Stu ritually changed into the comedian’s uniform and ripped through a solid set that would go down well in any beer barn, but a lot of the big laughs for us are in recognising all the bad tropes covered previously. There was also the deeper understanding with the knowledge of all the shit he had gone through that provided extra layers.

This show was definitely geared towards an experienced festival audience, in particular those in the biz. This was so much more than a hilariously faux bad business seminar and laid out Stuart’s emotions bare. Stuart Daulman’s Masterclass was a powerful glimpse behind the curtain of the life of a standup comedian.

Masterclass is on at Melbourne Town Hall (Regent Room) until April 21
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2019/shows/masterclass

Mark Watson : The Infinite Show

By Nick Bugeja

Mark Watson has a plan: to get to know people better, to tap into their inner lives, and to figure out what makes them tick. He tells us that things have been tough for him recently: the farce that is Brexit serves as a constant reminder of the sorry state of his native Britain, while a divorce in the past year has left him a little worse for wear. And it all makes for a fast-paced, genuinely enthralling 60 minutes of laughs.

You can really tell that Watson isn’t new to the comedy scene. There are some comics out there whose calibre of performance doesn’t reflect the amount of time they’ve been slaving away in dimly-lit bars, community halls, and comedy venues in search of cackling laughter. Neurotic, and often spluttering out his words, Watson is a comic with ample control over his material, the mood, and ultimately us as an audience.

There’s never any doubt – despite how “off-track” things may sometimes seem – that Watson is always pulling the strings. His random yet seamless interaction with the audience is truly, astonishingly good. Watson’s pre-organised material on his life as a stand-up, his divorce and his son’s “insubordination”, as Watson puts it himself, is invariably well-executed.

But it’s his spontaneous efforts working the crowd that stands out. Granted, on the night I saw his performance, there was one audience member who made good comedic fodder for Watson to latch onto; though he never failed to satisfy and up-the-ante during these little moments of exchange.

It’s early days in the Comedy Festival, yet it’s hard to see that many shows are going to eclipse what Mark Watson is producing right now. Bereavement may be the worst thing to go through for a person – as Watson tells us in his show – but missing his show might be high up on that list.

The Infinite Show is on at Melbourne Town Hall until April 21
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2019/shows/mark-watson

Dazza & Keif Go Viral

By Lisa Clark 

Dazza & Keif are a couple of young blokes who just want lots of hot chicks and fame as B-boys but don’t really have the talent or the brains to get either. They are actually being expertly played by Keely Windred and Danni Ray who, as experienced Drag Kings, have got the characters down pat and are having a ball exploring gender, sexuality and male mateship through hip hop.

The show opens with the guys showing how obsessed they are with dicks and how anything can look like a dick. It goes on a bit too long, but that’s perfectly in keeping with their dumb personas pushing their agendas (and dicks) into the faces of others without caring about their audience. They are in Dazza’s living room (a sort of “Mom’s Basement” vibe) creating videos of their dance moves that they hope will go viral on line and make them famous. The show at times has a sort of Wayne’s World feel about it with a darker edge.

The character of Dazza is a Dazzaling creation of boorish, ignorant, bullying misogyny, there is very little to like in the character. At times genuinely intimidating he’s the sort of creep you might cross the street to avoid. So part of my problem with the show is; do I want to spend an hour listening to this jerk on stage, even though I know it’s satire and he’s being played by a very talented woman? It can be a little triggering when you’ve grown up around guys like this. It can also be freeing to be able to laugh openly at his stupid self-destructive behaviour. Luckily there is also the little side kick, as there often is. The nicer one who makes you wonder ‘Why does he hang out with that dick who treats him like shit?’ and Keif’s character softens the show somewhat and helps keep you engaged. Keif is another beautifully realised character who is able to have some nuance unlike Dazza wouldn’t know nuance if it bit him in the arse.

The other two characters played by Keely and Danni who pop up throughout are Prue-and-Trude-type snooty newsreaders Amber and Amanda. They show the versatility of the performers and add to the awe for the audience that these wildly different characters could be played by the same people. The costumes throughout are truly fabulous and the tech spot on.

A highlight of the show is a guest performer in a big group dance number – it was a great way to end the show with the boys stepping back a little to appreciate the talent of a woman, then joining in and the audience cheering for all of them. But unfortunately, that was not the end of the show. It felt like a mistake not to end the show on the high of that moment. Though I do get that Dazza and Keif would make that mistake and want to make the finale all about themselves alone.

This show, though a different beast, reminded me somewhat of the work of  Sista She, the brilliant comedy rap duo that started the careers of Candy Bowers and Sarah Ward (who performs as Yana Alana) in the early 2000s. Hopefully the talented Keely and Dani will also have career longevity as they are already building a strong fanbase. If you’ve ever wanted to sit back and laugh at the ridiculousness of dumb alpha-male wannabees, saying and doing idiotic things through B-boying being performed by two incredibly talented women this is the show for you.

Dazza & Keif Go Viral is on at The Coopers Malthouse til Apr 7

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2019/shows/dazza-and-keif-go-viral

5 Good Reasons To See Martin Dunlop in Small Tales Of Little Mercy

1. It’s a Southern Gothic parody show and I explain what Southern Gothic literary fiction is, so you’ll be able to tell that to your friends and make it sound like you done got book learning.

2. It’s a one-man play where I do all the characters so you don’t have to keep track of which actor does what, because I’m doing all of them. Isn’t that simpler?

3. You kept watching True Blood for the dialogue and the setting, not just all the hot butts.

4. You were led to the show by crows.

5. I promise to show you what they found in the river.

Small Tales Of Little Mercy is on at The Butterfly Club from April 12 to April 21
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2019/shows/small-tales-of-little-mercy