Category: Reviews

Madison’s Square Garden

By Colin Flaherty

AJ Steele, Scott Collins and Aisling McGrogan are a young trio of aspiring actors who have formed the sketch group Madison’s Square Garden. Their debut effort had the feel of chums performing to their extended circle of friends. While their mates could find plenty of humour in seeing them act silly, complete strangers may struggle to find adequate laughs beyond that.

All the performances were suitably broad to sell these wacky scenarios with each playing to their strengths; Collins played downtrodden losers with a mousey voice and sunken posture, McGrogan inhabited the brash characters with wild eyed abandon while Steele was a good all-rounder. They got quite a bit of comedic mileage out of gender swapping and popped on small bits of costuming to flesh out their roles. While they could pull off exaggerated acting well enough, a woeful and overlong musical number had the audience wondering whether they were being inept at musical theatre deliberately.

Material-wise this show was rough around the edges. Not many of the sketches landed strong punchlines and even when they did, they continued way past their natural end. A great many sketches explored that dusty old trope of the differences between men and women which used some gender bending and a bit of hammy facial expressions to get laughs. There were a couple of truly inspired sketches that managed to combine all the right elements (their TV dating show was especially clever, layered and had some twists to keep things comically interesting) but they also suffered from sloppy conclusions. The Animal House styled end to the show was a nice touch and had us leaving the theatre smiling.

Being unable to control the stage lights to fade out each sketch, they sometimes compensated by throwing in some dialogue to transition to the next. Even without this device, it left the audience in the strange situation of not being able to anticipate the exact end of the sketch and applaud. By the time they did realise, it was a little too late so they didn’t bother until the end of the show. A sketch performance without regular applause between scenes just seems wrong.

Madison’s Square Garden is on at Long Play until April 6
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2018/shows/madison-s-square-garden-1

Andrew Hastings – EMO

By Colin Flaherty

Emo walks a fine line between comedy and tragedy. Andrew Hasting’s comedic material covers plenty of heavy topics and is pitch black which, though appropriate for his persona, is often a difficult sell when the audience are not on the same wavelength.

The comedy is broken up with some serious segments where he tells us the plain facts from his life set to some backing music. While clearly this is a device to generate some light and dark, the problem is that these facts are usually the basis of the comedy material he has just been selling us for the last ten minutes and he offers little distinction between the two. The audience has a difficult time working out where to laugh or cry and Hasting’s heavy use of self-deprecation complicates things so he struggles to even generate nervous titters. When he does manage to get the balance right he gives us some fantastic witty lines and a bit of clever wordplay but these were a little light on the ground for this opening night.

If you’re a fan of sexual talk, Hastings has got you covered. He warns us of his tendency towards graphic filth but the material isn’t too on the nose. These routines cover some unique viewpoints that are quite funny when he doesn’t use his self-loathing as a punchline.

Hastings has a charming stage persona that is a far cry from his subject matter. He is happy to engage with the audience both to advance his story and, depending on how vocal the punters are, gently poke fun at the responses he gets.

I’m clearly not the target audience for this show covering youth depression, having left youth behind long ago and being lucky enough to never have experienced depression. Perhaps other survivors who can relate closely to his views will find his form of gallows humour funnier than I. This is a bold performance that gradually reveals the dark thoughts of this Emo but is unfortunately a little too guarded to allow everyone to laugh along with him.

Emo is on at Speakeasy HQ until April 10
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2018/shows/emo

Asaf Gerchak – The Only Happy Man in Sadtown

By Lisa Clark

Canadian standup comedian Asaf Gerchaf has lived in many cities in the world, including Melbourne at one point, but he’s not been here for a few years and it’s great to see him again. He’s been going through a rough time, but you have to read between the lines to realise it.

Asaf’s style is less breezy, cheery, charm and more bullet train cheery charm. He’s loud (which can be important when there are musical comedy acts in the venues on either side) and fast, so keep up. This is not a relaxed rough round the edges type, late night act, this is carefully constructed storytelling comedy.

Early on Asaf tries to suggest that Canadians are not as nice as their preceding reputation and then throughout the show goes on to completely refute this by describing the lovely relationship he has with his arts loving family, how much he likes public transport because he sees how beneficial it is to society and in his refusal to go into any detail about the break up that has left him lonely and Sleepless in Toronto.

Big cities don’t normally make him feel isolated, but a broken relationship and new friends who don’t know him well enough to help have left him suddenly emotionally isolated. Asaf is determined not to wallow, but it would be nice if he shared a bit more about his feelings. Maybe it’s too soon to joke about it. The section on politics is not the strongest part, but again shows how nice Asaf is, that he can see from the other point of view. We learn a bit about his family but very little about the inner workings of Asaf, except that he is trying to stay positive and avoid the clichés.

There is a warm up act for some reason; tonight’s is Nick Quon who, in complete contrast to Asaf, mostly did some relaxed crowd work, and was pleasant, but not up to Asaf’s level of experience. I always say, a festival show that runs a bit short is always superior to a festival show that runs long, especially late at night. So a warm up act to fill time is not necessary but I guess it can be a good way for audiences to get a taste of other comedians at the festival. I’m sure Asak has over an hour’s worth of material but it speeds out at such a mighty pace, that he has room for Nick to open.

If you are looking for some friendly, storytelling comedy later in the evening (earlier on Mondays) without props, audience participation or a single dick in it, Asaf Gerchak is a pretty good choice.

The Only Happy Man in Sadtown is on at The Imperial Hotel until April 22
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2018/shows/the-only-happy-man-in-sadtown

Lauren Bok – Between a Bok and a Hard Place

By Lena Moon 

Between a Bok and a Hard Place, could easily fall into the trap of becoming a textbook, meta how-to guide for creating a Comedy Festival show. What Lauren Bok delivers, however, is an hour of energetic comedy that mocks the ever exhausting business of creating art for commerce.

Shows that poke fun at the mechanics of creativity or err on the line of the self referential show about making a show risks isolating an audience, but Bok’s child like nature and charm, and some initially awkward, but ultimately satisfying crowd work keeps us included. Bok’s boldness to fold crowd work in throughout the show keeps us warmed to her for the duration – even if it takes a few members of the audience a long pause and a bit of dead air to get on board with admitting they want her to sleep with them.

Bok’s irreverence for press kits, creating the perfect comedy poster, or the business mechanics of show business as a whole keeps us engaged while her overt physicality reminds us of a child being told to eat her vegetables – that is, she doesn’t want to do it, so she might as well find a way to make it palatable. The joy in this show is found in Bok’s success hacks, such as her trick for blurb writing, and her well handled verbal setups that are more often than not paid off with hilarious physical comedy.

The Bellville’s function room is an awkward shaped, but ultimately cozy setting, reminiscent of an 80’s mansions owned by a now incarcerated drug lord – peeling paint, a curved staircase and mirror lined doors that almost seem to encourage and enhance Bok’s ABBA inspired opener.

Bok herself, resplendent in her bare feet and oversized KISS T-shirt gives the vibe of an eight year old who has sat her closest family down in the lounge room armed with a box of her toys and her portable boom-box in order to put on a show she’d made up in her back yard an hour before. Her delivery is that of someone who clearly loves to be on stage: gleefully commanding, bold, and fun. It’s a relief to attend a meta show where the comic displays a refreshing enthusiasm that could easily have been lost after a facing the unenviable struggles of stand up comedy.

The moments where Bok spoke about day to day life were also well handled: from getting lost on the way to her venue, relatable hair fiasco’s to the faux humility of the fashion industry, Bok’s joyful use of character to pay these insights off is cheeky and silly. With a precise shift of pace and mood toward the end, Bok lets us in on why she bothers to put herself through the rigmarole of creating a show in the first place – which is not to say she doesn’t still handle this with some careful and subtle comedy.

A well crafted show by an affable, smart and silly comic – If you’re a comedy nerd looking to gaze behind the curtain and throw some props around, this one’s for you.

Bok and a Hard Place is on at The Bellville at 7:15pm from 27th of March – 8th of April. Tickets at https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2018/shows/lauren-bok-between-a-bok-and-a-hard-place

David Massingham – Sketch Me Like One of Your French Girls

By Colin Flaherty

After being part of The Sexy Detectives (Melbourne Fringe 2014 and MICF 2015), David Massingham has gone solo in this one hander sketch show Sketch Me Like One of Your French Girls. He sets the tone with some requisite French accordion music and uses the themes of art and things of a French persuasion in some sketches. Things branch out into other fields, many with comically violent intent, including bizarre surgical practices, a small town marketing scheme, multiple requests for vengeance and many aborted Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

All the characters he introduces us to are played as broad as possible for maximum wackiness. He is surely a student of the wild eyed looney school of acting and it works a treat. A script of bad puns, overt melodrama and witty wordplay has the audience constantly giggling if not in hysterics.

Massingham makes brilliant use of a flip book on an easel to set scenes, interact with his worlds and manipulate the audience. This combined with lighting changes, a bit of costuming, music and voice overs bring the scenarios to life beautifully.

A large majority of the sketches involve some audience interaction that requires them to leave their seat and join him on or near the stage, some on multiple occasions. While the sketches are tightly scripted, he leaves some wiggle room to react to punters actions and responses so that he can show off his impro talents developed with The Big Hoo Haa. There is nothing socially threatening, embarassing or complicated in these parts, he just wants you to join him in creating these scenarios. You can refuse Massingham’s invitations to join and he will (eventually) leave you be but he hasn’t as yet developed many amusing outs for those who won’t (or are unable to) play with him. I’m sure he will be able to read the punters better as the season progresses and adapt accordingly.

Massingham has created an inventive sketch experience that delights and has the power to regularly have you falling about with laughter. If you don’t mind taking part in his crazy universe rather than passively observing it, you will have a wonderful time.

Sketch Me Like One of Your French Girls is on at Tasma Terrace until April 8
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2018/shows/sketch-me-like-one-of-your-french-girls

Gosha Bodryi, Kaychu Symon & Gleb Tugushev – G’day Comrade! 

By Nick Bugeja 

Whenever comics from abroad perform in Australia, their sets inevitably grapple with Australian culture: its idioms, its whims, its myths. Their outside perspective doesn’t only provide ample laughs, but also a heightened sense of what our country is like. The best comedy of this ilk causes us to rethink and reflect on things we’ve so long taken for granted – perhaps our sanctification of sport, or our attitudes on politics. G’Day Comrade! gives this a hearty crack, with mixed – but admittedly enjoyable – results.

The performance is almost completely set around the Russian comedians often confused and baffled views of Australian life. Gosha Bodryi is the host of the show, and probably the most confident of the three comics. A former scientist, Bodryi tells us that he’s entered the comedy game “for the riches”. His jokes were perceptibly well-thought out, though his execution was at times uneven. When he got it right, he left the audience in fits of laughter. His suite of jokes involving Sale, the small-town in country Victoria where Bodryi first lived when he arrived in Australia, are to be savoured.

There’s a huge contrast in styles between the first and second sets. Kaychu Symon is the ying to Bodryi’s yang. She’s boisterous and lively, while Bodryi is calculated and controlled. Part of Symon’s appeal was her unrestrained approach, the way she laughs at herself and moves around the stage. She jumped right in with a series of ribald jokes, setting the tone for her performance. As a mother, a divorcee, and a former Israeli and Russian citizen, Symon has a wealth of life experience to draw on for her set, and at around 15-20 minutes, you’d like to hear more of her material. Though, it’s certainly better to leave your audience wanting more, than to exhaust them with material.

The last comic of the night (or afternoon, depending when you see the show) is Gleb Tugushev, who gets on the stage with an unverified lotion on his face. He assures us it’s sunscreen, and it’s a good and early sight joke. Of the three, Tugushev is the zaniest. Some of his jokes were simply illogical, and others were amusingly bizarre, particularly around the native animals that populate our country. The fact that he had to look at his hand for prompts sometimes stifled the flow of his set, and I imagine this is something he’ll resolve in the near future.

G’Day Comrade! is united around the Russian and Australian perspectives of its performers. There were plenty of jokes directed at Putin – some trite, others genuinely funny – but the show focused far more on the personal and the local than the political and the global. Bodryi, Symon and Tugushev adequately prove that jokes about sexting, Australian school holidays, and Vegemite can be as funny as mocking politicians, governments or disagreeable ideologies.

G’Day Comrade! runs until 1 April. Tickets can be purchased at https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2018/shows/g-day-comrade-russian-comics-down-under