Diana Nguyen : Chasing Keanu Reeves

By Nick Bugeja

You might recognise Diana Nguyen from her 20 second stint on Underbelly, 24 second appearance on Please Like Me, or her 22 second cameo in Jack Irish. Alternatively, if you’re a prolific LinkedIn user, you might have come across her viral ‘Dancing Diana’ videos, bringing new and refreshing content to the mundanity of a professional networking platform.

Nguyen’s latest show, Chasing Keanu Reeves, gives her the freedom to tell her own story, in her own words, over an enjoyable 50 minutes. The show covers a great deal of personal territory, from her career to her tumultuous dating life, to her observations of Vietnamese-Australian culture to her relationship with her caring yet accidentally hilarious mother. Accordingly, Nguyen’s various impressions of her mother are wrought with love, but lose none of their punctuating humour in the process.

Nguyen has a very likeable stage persona, interacting with the crowd in a spontaneous and good-natured way. Her exchanges with a member in the front row – which’ll presumably be reproduced in some form in her subsequent shows – were a particular highlight. Rather than retreating backstage as the show ended, Nguyen farewelled members of the audience near the exit – adding a further human touch to her performance.

Despite its title, the show is fairly lean on Keanu Reeves material. But that’s okay. It is a performance firmly about identity and self-exploration, one that is more honest and emotive than any one-liners about a distant, unknowable celebrity could be.

Instead, we get to know Nguyen, in what is ultimately a personal, engaging, and humorous performance.

Chasing Keanu Reeves is showing at the Greek Centre until 4 April.
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2021/shows/chasing-keanu-reeves

Big Big Big : Catching Jack

By Lisa Clark

My first Festival Show this year is a joyful jump into the fantastically weird and hilarious world created by Big Big Big, otherwise known as Ella Lawry, Madi Savage and Millie Holten.

The immersive feel to Catching Jack begins in the foyer when heavily cloaked and bearded Lantern Man appears with his lantern and clanging his bell to usher us into the Theatre. The stage is set with moody lighting, (lots of lanterns), and low level tense sounds to yell Ye Olde 1880s London at us complete with a Big impressive Ben lit up stage right.

The plot of catching Jack the Ripper is there but a more of a loose thin line to hang some kooky characters, mad ideas and jaw dropping surprises. The audience is led through London’s foggy back streets and sewers meeting detectives, Bobbies and a Rat King (Millie), but who REALLY rules London?  Director and brilliant character comedian Ben Russell clearly helped bring the sketches together into a somewhat coherent whole. It gets a little muddled about three quarters in, but the talent of the performers and fast pace keep your interest, keen to know what on Earth will happen next.

Ella, Madi and Millie all have remarkable comedic skills. Each has a unique presence and they work off each other brilliantly, without being clichĂ©d. A slight timing issue of costume change, rather than slowing down the proceedings, managed to showcase Madi’s comedic improvisational skills. The colourful characters they create in the story were memorable, Ella’s show stopping all singing, all dancing character wowed us all. Their ideas are deliciously original and bonkers and they keep the audience on side, only involving us in amusing and unthreatening ways.

There is nothing half arsed about this production, everything has been well written, rehearsed and put together with excellent costumes, props and lighting. The soundscape was astonishingly good, providing mood, special effects, replacing scenery and solved problems such as being unable to have a live flame on stage. There were a couple of moments where it was too loud but this will be ironed out no doubt and otherwise, the tech timing was impressively spot on so early in the run.

The audience guffawed throughout, Catching Jack was a silly, surreal and very funny Theatrical production performed by three talented comedians who I last saw as part of Flat Pack in their excellent sketchier show, Space Force. I loved them in that and am further impressed yet. Big Big Big are only going to get Bigger.

If you can’t make it to Melbourne this year, why not listen to their podcast that inspired this show; “The Candyman” a satire of True Crime podcasts.

Catching Jack is on at The Improv Conspiracy Theatre until April 4
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2021/shows/catching-jack

5 Good Reasons To See The Testy Cools: Skitocolypse!

Ah! Why hello there sinful traveller from the mortal realm, welcome to your own personal pit of inequity, and may I introduce you to The seven deadly sins of sketch comedy reasons of why you should see Testy Cools this comedy festival season! Bwah ha ha ha ha!

1. PRIDE

We are so proud of this show. We took time off our studying our various law degrees and PHDs to put this together every alt weekend we were all available because sketch comedy is our absolute number one passion and it’s what we wish we could do full time

2. GREED

Ahhh we have been greedy! Not just with how much we love sketch comedy but with greedily taking all the laughs from your belly! You will laugh from our satirical and silly take on current events / pop culture and we will eat them up greedily!

3. WRATH

This is our most wrathful show yet! Yes, it’s our debut, but that’s WHY it’s so wrathful! We have so much to say about the state of the world – expect wrathful takes on lockdown, trump, scomo and even aussie internet speeds! NO ONE IS SAFE FROM OUR WRATH!!

4. ENVY

You will be envious of all the CrAAzY ideas, concepts and approaches we have to our ideas. Inspired by the likes of Fry and Laurie, Monty Python and Big Girls Blouse, one could even say that WE are the envious ones of them (our heroes and idols)!

5. LUST

Sexy, saucy and raunchy, we have sketches to wet even the hungriests of appetites when it comes to boundary pushing and raunchy flavours! Even expect a sketch about what if Magic Mike went WAAAAAAY wrong (yes, with some nudity 😼 !!) !!

5.1 GLUTTONY

We are so VERY gluttonous! With our excessive desire for sketch, we have been withholding all the great sketch concepts from the needy! Bwah ha ha ha, welcome to your doom!

5.2 SLOTH

Ah, but all good things must come to an end, but i’m too TIRED to finish this document. How sloth-like of us. You won’t feel like a sloth after seeing our show though, you will be energized and ready for more delicious, tasty, sexy, angry and Testy Cool sketch comedy!

The Testy Cools: Skitocolypse! is on at Comedy Republic Mar 9,10,16 & 17 

Tickets Available Here:  https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2021/shows/the-testy-cools

5 Good Reasons to see Max Paton: Dark Web Mystery Box

1. Joyously high-energy sketch comedy.

2. A whole bunch of songs, one-liners, dumb wordplay, wacky sound effects, hi-fi prop gags and zany audience interaction.

3. Some ‘Traditional Comedy’ (I’m not being suspicious you’re being suspicious)

4. A ridiculous and nonsensical exploration of content creators and YouTube.

5. It’s unique comedy in an art space in Fitzroy so you can impress your friends with how trendy you are.

Max Paton Performs Dark Web Mystery Box The Motley Bauhaus until Mar 31

Tickets Available Here:   https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2021/shows/dark-web-mystery-box-1

5 Good Reasons To See Ethan Cavanagh & Sweeney Preston: Very Mature

1. PRICE. This is the cheapest we’ll ever be, ever. ($17-22). Either due to imminent success or more likely, inflation.

2. LEARNING. If you’re in your 20s, ever have been, or ever will be, this is the perfect how-to guide. Or rather, the perfect how-not-to guide.

3. ACCESSIBILITY. The material is relatively inoffensive. You can bring your mum, your friend’s mum, or your neighbour’s mum. Just don’t bring our mums, they’re sick of our shit.

4. SAFETY. We’re not gonna spend 10 minutes picking on you if you’re in the front. We’re like spiders, more terrified of you then you are of us.

5. CONTRIBUTING TO DIGGING US OUT OF A HOLE THAT WE, OURSELVES, CREATED. We drunkenly told a bunch of people from our high schools that we’re on an extensive national tour so we need to sell these tickets to visit more than two cities.

Ethan Cavanagh & Sweeney Preston perform Very Mature at Mantra on Russell from Mar 25 – 28 (short run get into it!)

Tickets Available Here:   https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2021/shows/ethan-cavanagh-sweeney-preston

5 Good Reasons To See Scout Boxall: Good Egg

1. If you or someone you love is non-binary or queer.

2. If you’ve ever wondered whether Enya’s Orinoco Flow is powerful enough to stop a bullet.

3. If you want to slim down, shape up and become the best vessel for Christ’s glorious love you can be.

4. If you’re a fan of Eurovision and/or the downfall of the Soviet Union.

5. If you’ve ever had to sit through a free spoken word performance upstairs in a gentrified yoga studio with spiked vegan chai and you want closure.

Scout Boxall Performs  Good Egg At Trades Hall 25 Mar – Apr5

Tickets Available Here:   https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2021/shows/scout-boxall-good-egg