Squirrel Comedy – Page 45 – We're Nuts About Australian Comedy

5 Good Reasons to see Is This It?

1. It’s inspired by being a teenager, and the Strokes’ debut album…
Ian McCarthy took a lot of inspiration from the way he idolised rockstars as a teenager, particularly through the way he worshiped the Strokes’ debut album, ‘Is This It?’ Ian reflects on that reverence we all had for artists as young people throughout the show.
“All of the changes that I’ve gone through as a person, since I first became obsessed with that album, and looking back on it now, it means different things to me now than it did then, but I still love it the same amount.”

2. …But, you don’t have to be a Strokes fan to enjoy or get the show!
Ian wants to stress that this show will not be exclusive to try-hard fans of the band or the album, granted though, he does make a reference to the Strokes in the following quote. The show will honestly be relatable to anyone who was a celebrity-idol-praising teenager, which is all of you, I
can bet.
“If people don’t know the album, that’s fine,” says Ian. “It’s about me, through the album as a device. There’s not going to be any super niche Strokes jokes. There’s not gonna be like; ‘Albert Hammond Junior!? I hardly know her!’ But give it a listen for sure!”

3. You can learn how to kill your problematic idols, like Ian already has.
In the current state of celebrities getting their just desserts for the heinous and problematic things they have committed in the past, you should separate yourselves from the people you once idolised, and Ian has some advice for doing that. Even on a basic level, you shouldn’t really want to obtain their incredibly fraught lifestyles anyway, according to Ian. Having once
idolised comedy icons Louis C.K. and Woody Allen, along with many problematic singers in the past, Ian says to just accept the fact they are human and ditch ‘em.
“You forget that they are just normal people. They are not necessarily these perfect, geniuses that you build them up to be. You don’t want your life to reflect theirs either. A lot of artists have messed up lives. Like, I love Lou Reed but I’m not going to go out and do heroin any time soon.”

4. This isn’t Ian’s first rodeo, despite being his debut solo comedy show.
Ian has already had plenty of experience on the stand-up stage throughout the past couple of years. Debuting at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2019 with two other friends in ‘2 Matts and a Rat’ (Ian was the rat) gave him plenty of opportunities to stretch his funny muscles. And, making it to the Victorian State Finals in RAW Comedy 2019 too means Ian has taken a proper comedic crack across multiple stages. Ian is particularly grateful for the two opportunities to finally spread his wings in the comedy scene.
“We got all we wanted out of it. I felt like I came out of it better as a comedian. That’s all you can really ask for.”

5. It’s hosted at Crowded in the Vaults, a particular favourite of Ian’s.
Finding a suitable venue for your debut solo show is paramount for ensuring the comedian and the audience are satisfied throughout the night and Ian thinks he’s found the perfect place to host his comedy premiere. Accessible from the city by tram, Crowded in the Vaults is already making Ian feel at home.
“The room that I’m doing my show is just really cozy. It’s a small intimate space, which for me personally is the best place to perform. You can talk to people and be a bit looser in that space.I can reach out and touch the front row…not that I’m planning on doing that but I could if I wanted to.”

Ian McCarthy performs Is This It? at Crowded in the Vaults – Vault 11, Sept 17 – 22
https://melbournefringe.com.au/event/is-this-it/

5 good reasons to see An Inconvenient Comedy Show

1. Variety. You’ll get to see an awesome line-up of progressive comedians talking about current affairs and social issues.

2. You’re supporting good comedy and a good cause. Every ticket helps provide funds for the family of Tanya Day. So not only will you laugh your ass off, you’ll also be supporting justice for Tanya.

3. You’ll (finally) get the answers to life’s most important questions: like who is the leader we need in these trying times – Albo, Scomo, or that goat who yells like a human?

4. There’s pedigree. Last year the crew sold out their Fringe show Sustainable Standup. And they’re likely to sell out again — so book your tickets quickly!

5. Pauline Hanson is still a thing. So we have to laugh, really.

An Inconvenient Comedy Show is on at Crowded in the Vaults – Vault 11 til Sept 29

https://melbournefringe.com.au/event/an-inconvenient-comedy-show/

Sweet and Sour Dilemmas

By Hooi Khaw

Sweet and Sour Dilemmas serves up the perfect balance of side-splitting comedy and heart-warming character work. Crafted from personal experiences and ideas, writer/performer Brendan Wan draws in the audience first through comedy, then through emotionally truthful storytelling that packs a punch.

As soon as the audience steps into the theatre, they are introduced to the main character, Chef Chung. Chef Chung is immediately likeable, utilising tongue in cheek humour to get the audience onside before delving deeper into the narrative.

Though the show touches on the idea of stereotyping and racial discrimination, Wan manages to maintain tonal levity, and avoids preaching. He creates a safe space to share these experiences without judgement. The beauty of this work is
how deftly Wan alternates between the honesty of these moments, and the light-hearted nature of his jokes, juggling both with ease and precision.

Though the narrative is filtered through the lens of a very specific character that has led a very specific life, the content is extremely relatable. Wan compels the audience with a one-way conversation that examines love, life, work, and family, with a particular focus on identity – our need to carve out our own, in conflict with our need to fit in.

Sweet and Sour Dilemmas masterfully explores the human condition through a migrant tale. Stripped of the specifics, the content is highly relatable to any human being. This show will have you in tears, trying to figure out if you are laughing or crying, and will give you additional insight into the complexity of multicultural identities. Wan does an exceptional job of emphasizing that there are a multitude of different versions that exist, and also highlights that all of our stories are the same at heart.

Sweet and Sour Dilemmas is on at the Trades Hall.

https://melbournefringe.com.au/event/sweet-sour-dilemmas/

Chaddyslap!

By Colin Flaherty

A cast of characters trapped in the shopping mecca Chadstone was an intriguing concept for a sketch show. Largely inspired by Naomi Klein’s book “No Logo”, Chaddyslap! attempted to be an absurdist critique of our consumerist society but as a work of satire it fell well short.

One scene was prefaced with a warning that it was less a sketch and more a blunt analogy of the capitalist machine, but I found this was the case with the majority of the sketches presented here. They tried to poke fun at the retail trade but they often punched down on the downtrodden workers which I ultimately found depressing rather than hilarious. On the whole, this show maintained too much of the seriousness of Klein’s tome without finding enough amusing angles. Similarly their “parody” songs replaced the lyrics of popular tunes with dry facts about the evils of consumerism and lots of marketing buzzwords, but failed to include any jokes.

Attempts at being surreal resulted in some nicely strange situations, suitably kooky characters and clever anthropomorphized brands. These were enjoyable enough to raise some smiles but they were surface level observations and lacked punchlines. The cast did their valiant best in selling the script with plenty of mugging and exaggerated delivery, but it wasn’t enough.

The production values were very impressive with creative staging, clever props and elaborate costuming. The main attraction was a screen showing the characters filmed guerrilla-style at Chadstone, allowing them to transition from screen to stage at the start of scenes. This screen also displayed lyrics (and a ridiculously lengthy quote from Klein) but with the cast always milling about in front of it, reading the text was next to impossible. There was plenty of razzle dazzle with some song and dance numbers that, despite not all the cast having tuneful voices, were fun.

With most of Klein’s observations/accusations still a concern twenty years on, this can be seen as a worthy performance. It was enjoyable enough as a piece of semi-serious theatre but don’t expect to be doubled over with laughter.

Chaddyslap! is on at Trades Halls until September 29
https://melbournefringe.com.au/event/chaddyslap/

Geraldine Hickey – Things Are Going Well

By Lisa Clark

A lot of great comedy, and art, comes from anger, heartache and loss. So what does a comedian do when her life is suddenly coming up roses and massive engagement rings? Geraldine Hickey proves that she is a brilliant comedian and takes the audience on an exhilarating rollercoaster ride.

There is a very gentle build up to this show, a left turn at Albuquerque and a fabulous finale that sends the audience out in a high. Geraldine has had a lot of rough times in the past and there is a joy underlying this show because, generally, Things ARE going Well for her and she has a lot of stories to tell. Tales of Christmases with her new welcoming in-laws, being able to afford to visit the great theme parks in California, including Disneyland, performing at cool music festivals and visiting wildlife parks. Her levels of enjoyment of bird shows at wildlife parks is a highlight. The hilarious description of a lame bird show is where I lost it and am still giggling about it the next day.

Geraldine is a relaxed and friendly performer who brings with her quite a large fanbase, she’s built over the years, even before she started working on the Breakfasters on 3RRR. I’ve always found her to be a pretty sure bet in a festival and this show is stunning. She has smartly provided her show with a solid structure of viewing her life as half glass full, then half glass empty with a priceless finale that almost flies by too quickly and has the audience in fits. This is clearly a brilliantly written and beautifully polished performance.

I tried but couldn’t get into this sold out show during the Melbourne International Comedy Festival earlier this year. If you get a chance to see Geraldine Hickey performing Things Are Going Well (or any future show), don’t miss it.

Geraldine Hickey – Things Are Going Well has sadly finished it’s run

https://melbournefringe.com.au/event/geraldine-hickey-things-are-going-well/

Blade University by Maddy Weeks

By Lisa Clark

Maddy Weeks has made some really bad decisions. They are not all sword related, but many are; real and metaphorical. On opening night it’s still a bit rough around the edges, but with the support of the audience, Maddy puts together a very entertaining Fringe Solo Debut.

Maddy’s bad choices have made her lose all confidence in her decision-making abilities and thus she constantly asks the audience how they think the show is going and if it is OK for her to do her next bit and so forth. It can get a bit repetitive at times but her cheeky stage presence keeps the audience on side. Maddy, originally from Goulburn and now in Canberra, obviously comes to her debut Melb Fringe show with some experience.

The title, Maddy’s outfit of real chainmail and Morter board and fabulous introduction by “Voice Over Man” got me very pumped up and excited that this was going to be all about Maddy’s love of swords and medieval stuff. I was all ready to recommend this to my gaming friends. But a short way into the show she drops the costume and the title’s theme to go into the more mundane topics of her bad decision making, including relationships and stories about vomiting. Not that there was anything wrong with that, really.

The structure has a little ramshackle feel, it is there if you think about it though and I enjoyed the red herrings of will we or won’t we see a sword. The picture of her 11th birthday party was a highlight and after a lot of teasing it would’ve been nice for her to give us an ending with an enlarged photo or a slide show of her whole sword collection rather than the actual ending that felt a little tacked on.

Maddy is a charming and funny young comedian with a lot of potential and is a great person to spend an hour with. Blade University was loads of fun, we didn’t learn a hell of a lot about swords but we enjoyed learning about Maddy Weeks.

Blade University is on at The Coopers Inn until September 19
https://melbournefringe.com.au/event/blade-university/