Squirrel Comedy – Page 61 – We're Nuts About Australian Comedy

Jordan Brookes – Bleed

By Will Erskine

Some shows are better seen with as little knowledge as possible about what it is, who you’re watching and what might happen. This is one of those shows. If you are considering booking Jordan Brookes – Bleed, book your ticket now and stop reading this review, having any preconceived ideas or knowledge of what could happen will lessen your enjoyment. If you aren’t considering booking tickets for the show, please stop reading and go and book tickets anyway, it was one of the most interesting and exciting shows I have seen in years, it is a show that will stay with me for many weeks and it is a performance like none I have witnessed before.

Right, now with that said, we may begin. Jordan Brookes tells us that he’s “the riskiest comic in the biz”, he tells us repeatedly until the words he is saying don’t make sense anymore and the audio is warped to the point of being unintelligible and unsettling to hear. This is a mixed media performance combining live stand-up, audio tracks and audio manipulation of the live show. Jordan begins the show with some light audience interaction, he reassures us a number of times that this isn’t the show and that it’s just the pre-show and we mustn’t worry if we zone out and think about something else for a while, it’s an odd start. The Cloakroom at the Town Hall feels a little noisier than normal tonight, I’ve seen lots of shows in this room before and I don’t remember the trams being that loud and I don’t recall being able to hear laughter and noise from the other rooms. From the start something just doesn’t seem quite right with the performer, the room, the audience and Brookes builds on this tension and unease throughout.

Bleed will challenge what you think stand-up comedy should be and what it can be. It will make you laugh, but at the same time make you feel very isolated and unsettled in the space. It will make you question what is real and will expose you to the inner mind of a performer and the creative journey. The show deals heavily with mental health, anxiety and the constant desire for acceptance. It is very funny, but it is not a conventional stand-up show, you don’t walk away from this trying to remember the best joke, you walk away questioning what it made you think and what it made you feel. This probably isn’t a show for everyone, but if you are open to performance rather than straight comedy and are comfortable with being uncomfortable, please go and see it.

Jordan Brookes performs Bleed at The Town Hall until April 21st

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2019/shows/jordan-brookes

Flo & Joan Alive On Stage

By Lisa Clark

It’s always wonderful to discover a new comedy act to become a fan of and Flo & Joan blew me away with their astonishing, hilarious musical comedy.

Flo & Joan don’t do a lot of banter between songs. These are fairly formal proceedings. We don’t find out much about them or their relationship apart from the fact that they are sisters and that they are not really named Flo & Joan. They are Nicola and Rosie Dempsey and use stage names taken from their grandmother and her sister. The show is made up of very funny songs that are broken up by reading out real, on-line comments they’ve received and giving their responses, that occasionally reveal a bit more about their individual personalities and a hint at sibling rivalry.

Their musical comedy style is very English, I would describe them as daughters of Noel Coward and Victoria Wood. They are very deadpan in their approach and don’t do a lot of in between song banter or off the cuff chat but are still delightful to watch live. The songs are very tightly and densely written with clever and witty lyrics filled with jokes and surprises. Some are about current events, such as companies who patronise women by creating a ‘female’ version of their product, or common experiences such as having a bit too much to drink, and, having had some dreadful troll experiences online, they have written a super duper of a response to top them all. The real crowd-pleaser is their gift for patter songs in this case “Carol the Cracker Packer”.

I heard about Flo & Joan a couple of years ago and put them on my list of must see shows for this year, then was very impressed when I saw them do a couple of songs at the MICF Launch. It made me very excited that I was going to see them and they didn’t let me down. Neither of those songs were in the show, so there were no spoilers, but those songs were certainly a strong indicator of their talent and style. It also attests to the large repertoire they’ve built up. They have 2 albums for sale.

Discovering Flo & Joan has become the highlight of the festival for me so far. If you are big fans of smart, topical, musical comedy, rush out and see them before their shows become as expensive as Tim Minchin!

Flo & Joan are Alive On Stage at The Melbourne Town Hall til Apr 21

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2019/shows/flo-and-joan

Nick Capper – Pig In The City

By Peter Newling

The German language has some wonderful words. Most people are familiar with the concept of schadenfreude – the pleasure that comes from the troubles, failures, or humiliation of others. Some may be familiar with backpfeifengesicht – which I believe translates to ‘a face badly in need of a fist’ or similar. I wonder if the German language has a word that describes “Audience laughing out of sympathy for the performer”. That may sound harsh – but I get the feeling that that’s exactly what Nick Capper was aiming for.

Capper doesn’t try to put himself across as anything other than a likeable doofus. This is reflected in his dress sense, his choice of hair style, his affable tone of voice and definitely in his choice of material. He seems to want people laughing at him, as much as laughing at what he says.

Capper markets himself as ‘one of the only agricultural-based comedians in Australia or the world’ – and I admit I’m struggling to name another one. There’s a video of pigs that greets the audience as you walk in. Much of his routine is based around his experiences as a country lad living in the city. I now know more than I’ve ever known before about dirt bikes, tractors, and egg conveyor belt technology.

His delivery, however, is somewhat unexpected. Yes, you’ve got the slow, dim, good natured yokelly larrikin as a base, but his bumpkin schtick is interrupted by totally unexpected moments of bizarre. A bit like Graham Chapman’s splunge moments, Capper throws in random flashes of idiocy that make you wonder ‘Did that actually happen’? Some of these interruptions are accompanied by sound/lights/video, some just vocal. They may involve martial arts. Or a song. Or a totally unrelated anecdote. It’s a difficult style to describe.

One thing for certain, it’s a really hit and miss style. On the night I was there, some of it fell dreadfully flat. Some (including the occasional tech element) didn’t work at all. Some of it was obviously padding. We know that because he told us.

The small Zeus room at the Greek Centre was about ¾ full – mostly of people known to the performer (who thought he was hilarious). I’m not exactly sure who Nick’s target audience is. This might be one of those shows that you just need to go along to find out if it’s you or not.

Nick Capper – Pig in the City is playing til 21 April at the Greek Centre Zeus

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2019/shows/pig-in-the-city

Eleanor Tiernan – Success Without a Sex Tape.

By Peter Newling

When you walk into a show called “Success Without a Sex Tape”, and the only thing on the stage when you enter the space is a large screen TV, it does make you wonder if you missed the R rating warning. But we needn’t have worried.

Irish comic Tiernan uses the hour to explore if it’s possible to live a happy and comfortable life if you don’t release a sex tape. After all – all the big stars are doing it. Surely a sex tape will lead to popularity, notoriety, love, wealth and happiness?

Tiernan explores this premise through a delightful series of personal stories, exploring those notions of fame, success and happiness. The stories involve explorations of her relationships with, among other things, her family, get rich quick schemes, singledom, cats, rats and catholics.

Tiernan’s delivery style is friendly and genial, but at the same time kind of nervous and staccato. It’s not the slick, polished delivery style of most stand-ups, but it’s ideally suited to her material. As she explores her own personal story, and the life decisions she has made, it’s like she’s seeking understanding or even forgiveness from her audience.

As Tiernan says, it’s all about how we manage shame. And that’s pretty close to being the theme of the show. It’s about life choices and how we go about owning them, justifying them and being able to live with them.

Does she end up deciding to make a sex tape? You’ll have to go along to find out.

Eleanor Tiernan Success Without A Sex Tape is playing at ACMI Studio til Apr 21

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2019/shows/eleanor-tiernan

Larry Dean – Bampot

By Jess Welch

Festival favourite Larry Dean is back for his third year in a row, with yet another spectacular show, Bampot. In addition to being incredibly funny, this show is also a personal and at times melancholic one. It is a show where the audience walks away sore from laughing, but aching from the familiarity of a strangers experiences. Maybe even with a tear or two in your eye.

If you have seen Dean before, you will likely be familiar with the characters in his life, including but not limited to, his kindly mother and his Australian boyfriend, Luke. This year dives a little deeper into his past, pulling the audience in, making it feel as though it’s not a stand up show at all, rather an intimate chat between friends.

Though a little funnier than the average catch up with friends, you leave feeling as if you know more about Dean and perhaps about yourself. Any youngest child will empathise with some of the themes and anyone who has ever been in a relationship will see themselves in others. In that way, this show is revealing of not just Dean, but everyone.

Dean ties together the stories from his childhood to tales more recent with the skills of a master weaver. Some tales are whimsical and others thought provoking, but the audience is riveted to each one equally. The moments of wistfulness are quickly followed by silliness and a touch of smut, flipping the mood of the audience in a second. It’s an incredible talent and Dean just gets better, year after year.

The dissection of the various facets of romantic relationships is easily recognisable to anyone who’s ever been in one and there were more than a few couples nudging each other, as if to say “that’s you”. It’s always wonderful to see performers connect with an audience in those ways and Dean does it with such ease.

I left from this show incredibly moved and I can’t see how anyone couldn’t. Dean plays on the nostalgia of childhood with a master touch. It may not have been the story Dean wanted to tell, but it’s an amazing show nonetheless.

Bampot is on at ACMI til Apr 21

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2019/shows/larry-dean

Sean M Elliott – Tesla: Death Rays & Elephants!

By Colin Flaherty

Science communicator Sean M Elliott presented a comedic lecture that covered selected highlights from the life of Nikola Tesla. It does what it says on the tin and features all the elements listed in the title.

Stories from Tesla’s life were hand picked to feature the more extraordinary events but glossed over many parts of the story (eg. who won the Current War and why?) – a disappointment for sticklers for narrative completion. These tales were often bizarre so no other humorous lines were added, missing the opportunity for bigger lols. Similarly the facts had precedence over jokes which was certainly important for scientific accuracy but was a little dry at times. This resulted in the audience being glued to Elliott’s words rather than chuckling along regularly. Fortunately we found some laughs in his humorous asides, straining puns and the misbehaving Tesla Coil.

Seeing that Elliott was a Science Communicator I was a little surprised that his diction and presentation style was a bit all over the shop – like a kid excitedly telling you all about their most favourite thing in the world ever. I guess this fitted in with the Mad Scientist vibe he seemed to be going for and undoubtedly made him interesting to watch.

The show featured some demonstrations of the concepts he covered. I’m sure he would have loved to get the audience more involved but working with electricity restricted this. He cleverly made one inanimate object – the Tesla Coil – the star of the show which was cute, particularly the amusing finale.

Tesla: Death Rays & Elephants! was a great educational show that doesn’t get bogged down in jargon so all can understand, including the kids in the audience. A fun hour about this engineering pioneer that was fascinating with a few giggles thrown in.

Tesla: Death Rays & Elephants! is on at the Imperial Hotel until April 21
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2019/shows/nikola