Alexis Dubus – Cars & Girls

By Lisa Clark

The Comedy Festival brings all sorts of ways to make us laugh and this is a new one. Comedy shows that tell a story about travel and love are not new, but one performed completely in rhyming poetry is new to me. This is an interesting departure for Alexis Dubus from his famous alter-ego Marcel Lucont, though Marcel’s ability to play intelligently with language has always been evident. Cars & Girls won the Spirit of the Fringe Award at the Edinburgh Fringe last year and by the end that is no surprise at all.

This is a bold brave performance that began as an experiment on the Free Fringe that has obviously paid off. It’s a very polished performance with a big prop for a set, a large passport as a backdrop that he gradually attaches photos to and brilliant touches of sound and lighting to add to the mood. The sound and lighting are used sparingly and so lightly that they are barely noticeable. They add to the mood of the piece without taking the attention away from the riveting adventure.

The bulk of Alexis’s show is stories about his reminiscences of hitching through Europe and might give the tale the more appropriate title of Girls and Trucks. There are a lot of trucks and truckies, and girls. There are many characters that he brings to life with his amazing talent for accents and character acting. The action takes Dubus off the beaten path from France to Tangier and the Americas. The memory that lingers longest from these travelling experiences is his panorama of the Burning Man Festival experience and a sweet ending as surprising for us as it was to him.

It’s an exhausting bravura performance by Alexis. The delicate audiovisual touches and Dubus’s expressive voice keep the dense language from becoming overwhelming. There are laughs peppered throughout and some great punchlines but it is mostly romantic and joyous. The magic of Dubus’ performance was on the faces of the grinning audience members at the end, clapping like they didn’t want to stop.

Alexis Dubus – Cars & Girls is on at the Tuxedo Cat


http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2014/season/shows/cars-girls-alexis-dubus

5 Good Reasons to see Wrongtown Wednesdays

1- Wrongtown is the place to be if you enjoy armpits in your face especially on the tram

2- Wrongtown is the show for you if you enjoy Gluten free options…or GFO’s

3- Wrongtown is the place to be if you enjoy ladies in lingerie playing football…

4- If you love gourmet meals join Jamie and Nigella for their 3 min and 30 second cook off!

5- If you like your comedy with song, dance and sass!

Wrongtown Wednesdays is on every Wednesday of the Festival at The Butterfly Club

http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2014/season/shows/wrongtown-wednesdays-with-wrongtown

Juliet Meyers : Unchained Biro

By Alanta Colley

Juliet Meyers is an affable, erratic, eccentric and energetic stand up gracing our shores all the way from London this comedy festival.

She brings us tales of her oft exasperating life being an ‘other’, with a Jewish heritage, as a feminist, a comic and a childless woman who can’t drive in London. Meyers questions the social trends about just what is ‘alternative’, and how those who are truly alternative don’t have a say in it. Meyers is warm, friendly, inviting people into her narrative and with a charming beam on her face; when not articulating exasperation.

Sadly Meyers’ material often missed the mark. Australian audience surely are tired by now by visiting comics doing their bit about how cute and deadly our native animals are. We know. There is unlikely to be any new observations anyone can bring to this well-worn ground.

Meyers’ style verges on more bumble than delivery, which pushed past endearing into being disruptive of her material. Meyers’ punch line is too often just a look of exasperation about the crazy things people say.

For some reason it felt like many of Meyers’ anecdotes were set ups for punch lines that just didn’t justify the meandering narrative beforehand. Maybe it was the lack of descriptive commitment to each narrative, or Meyers blustery style, but willing suspension of disbelief just didn’t kick in and it was hard to buy in to each joke. Meyers’ material on feminism was welcome but didn’t articulate observations or learning from this part of her life; just more exasperation with people who think feminism is all about not shaving legs. It would have been a really nice opportunity for some social insights in this bit.

With some amusing anecdotes regarding run-ins with dogs and toffee-nosed humans, this show has promise; it just needs tightening, clearly articulated punch-lines, and more commitment to making the narratives evocative and engaging for the audience. Meyers’ gregarious and spirited nature is a great start to a good evening.

Unchained Biro is on at The Tuxedo Cat until April 20
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2014/season/shows/unchained-biro-juliet-meyers

Bane : Trilogy

By Elyce Phillips

Bane 3 is a one-man action thriller about killer-for-hire Bruce Bane. Joe Bone, with nothing more than some musical accompaniment from Ben Roe, spins an epic tale of love, betrayal and violence. This show is part of a trilogy, told over three nights, however, the shows can be seen individually and in any order. For those who have missed parts 1 and 2, there is a handy quick-fire recap of the story to kick things off.

Bone is a skilled performer. His ability to flip between characters is truly impressive. Bane 3 is incredibly physical. With no props, not only is Bone managing a whole cast of characters, he is also creating scenery and miming daring getaways on motorcyles. The humour in Bane 3 is often found in the physicality of Bone’s performance. Fight scenes quickly become complicated as he shuffles between characters at an intense rate. Goofy voices also got laughs, particularly a creepy whispering henchman.

All the usual clichĂ©s of gangster stories are here – the bad guys are gruff Italian-Americans, a greedy and slightly thick brother-in-law is the comic relief, and the few women are either saintly motherly figures or eye candy. It’s a genre that has so much to play with, but aside from the odd wacky name or silly exchange not a lot is done with it. The stereotypes are exaggerated but rarely questioned. As for the plot of Bane 3, it’s straight-up drama. The ending in particular is serious and jarring, and the lack of a punch line felt anti-climactic.

This is an accomplished show from a talented performer. Joe Bone knows what he’s doing. Bane 1 has previously done well at several Fringe festivals and has picked up several awards along the way. However, it feels like an odd fit for the Comedy Festival. I went in expecting comedy, and while the show got some laughs, I found it lacking. Bane 3 is, however, an impressive one-man action drama. Go in with an open mind and there’s plenty to enjoy.

Bane is on at the Victoria Hotel – Acacia Room until April 20
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2014/season/shows/trilogy-bane

Colin Lane Presents

By Jayden Edwards

“Take a chance you stupid hoe” modern day Shakespearian Gwen Stefani once said. It’s this inspiring line taken from her song “What you waiting for” that Colin Lane uses as his mantra, his reason to give it his all and “decide to try”.

After a four year absence, and some gruelling daytime cooking show hosting (which he appreciates, don’t get him wrong), Colin Lane is back at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival with his new show Colin Lane Presents. And what Colin presents is a hour of wonderfully awkward, self depreciating and angry silliness.

The show starts off with Colin at his awkward best, standing atop his piano with his head obscured by the top of his stage, wondering how to gracefully continue. After a dragged out barrage of oh’s, ah’s, um’s, some fidgeting and a pair of scissors, Colin is revealed. There’s spatterings of laughter throughout the ordeal, and the audience is a little slow to warm to it all. But once the show moves on, and grows more and more wonderfully and intentionally off track, the punters jump on board.

There’s beautifully irreverent silly songs plus hilarious observations on that little car voice we all put on when no one can here us, the point of backwards type on Ambulances (or Ecnalubma’s) and whether hating dogs makes you an arsehole. It’s the little things in life that Colin likes to dissect, rather than big scary complex stuff, but backed by Coin’s childlike enthusiasm you’ll be as focused on them as he is, laughing all the way.

Towards the middle of the show, that patented funny-awkward kicks into overdrive after a ‘botched’ routine and nervy-angry one way argument with his technical director Jane (not her real name, she wouldn’t tell him her real name). After she gets up and leaves, Colin is left to run things himself; his fiddling and padding becoming the show. It’s a clever ploy, and a goldmine for material, although things do border on becoming a little too real at times, awkward wise.

As good as Colin’s material is, it’s his facial expressions, physicality and off the cuff stuff that really pack a comedic punch. There was a moment in this show where he interacted with a punter who got a bemused stare-down that had the audience in hysterics. That’s the stuff you can’t learn, you’ve either got it or you don’t, and it’s a great trick to have up your sleeve to pull an audience back.

The show ties up nicely as Colin returns to that Gwen Stefani mantra to pull himself though and get that re-railed train back on track.

Presents is a simple idea, executed brilliantly by a naturally gifted performer. If you’re after laughing without too much thinking, Colin’s your man.

Although the show should of been called ‘Take a chance you stupid hoe’, really.

Colin Lane Presents is on at the Melb Town Hall – Regent Room until April 20
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2014/season/shows/presents-colin-lane

Come Heckle Christ

By Elyse Philips

Walking into the room, your vision is obscured by a thick mist. As you walk towards the front, the clouds part to reveal a lone figure on stage. Jesus Christ (Josh Ladgrove, aka Dr Professor Neal Portenza) stands nailed (taped) to the cross, softly calling to his children to sit in the front row. The audience settles, grows quiet and then Christ says “Heckle me.”

Come Heckle Christ delivers on the promise of its title. The show is simply Ladgrove responding to whatever the audience yells out for the duration. This does make for the occasional awkward silence but with a little gentle encouragement the crowd got stuck in. Heckles ranged from the expected (“Take it off!”) to the religious (“Was Judas a good kisser?”) to just plain offensive (“Are you ashamed for providing the material for ‘The DaVinci Code?”). The unmistakable voice of Dave Callan called out a few times, prompting a heckle at him – “Are you pissed off you didn’t think of this first?” However as the evening progressed, things got a bit friendlier and turned into more of a Q&A with our pal Jesus.

Stick a bunch of Melbournites in a room with Christ and the impulse seems to be to politely seek guidance about whatever burning questions pop into their head – Is it time to upgrade my computer? Whatever happened to pogs?

Ladgrove’s Christ is suitably beatific. His responses to heckles were quick and deadpan, occasionally slipping out of character when required. Ladgrove engages the crowd well and keeps things rolling. It’s an interesting concept for a show. So much of the humour is reliant on the audience. At any point the show could go flat or turn sour yet, miraculously, Come Heckle Christ works.

Christ will return this Easter weekend. I can’t think of a more appropriate way for comedy fans to spend the evening.

Come Heckle Christ is on at the The Tuxedo Cat on April 20
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2014/season/shows/bildungsroman-at-28-michael-hing