Mark Watson : The Infinite Show

By Nick Bugeja

Mark Watson has a plan: to get to know people better, to tap into their inner lives, and to figure out what makes them tick. He tells us that things have been tough for him recently: the farce that is Brexit serves as a constant reminder of the sorry state of his native Britain, while a divorce in the past year has left him a little worse for wear. And it all makes for a fast-paced, genuinely enthralling 60 minutes of laughs.

You can really tell that Watson isn’t new to the comedy scene. There are some comics out there whose calibre of performance doesn’t reflect the amount of time they’ve been slaving away in dimly-lit bars, community halls, and comedy venues in search of cackling laughter. Neurotic, and often spluttering out his words, Watson is a comic with ample control over his material, the mood, and ultimately us as an audience.

There’s never any doubt – despite how “off-track” things may sometimes seem – that Watson is always pulling the strings. His random yet seamless interaction with the audience is truly, astonishingly good. Watson’s pre-organised material on his life as a stand-up, his divorce and his son’s “insubordination”, as Watson puts it himself, is invariably well-executed.

But it’s his spontaneous efforts working the crowd that stands out. Granted, on the night I saw his performance, there was one audience member who made good comedic fodder for Watson to latch onto; though he never failed to satisfy and up-the-ante during these little moments of exchange.

It’s early days in the Comedy Festival, yet it’s hard to see that many shows are going to eclipse what Mark Watson is producing right now. Bereavement may be the worst thing to go through for a person – as Watson tells us in his show – but missing his show might be high up on that list.

The Infinite Show is on at Melbourne Town Hall until April 21
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2019/shows/mark-watson

Dazza & Keif Go Viral

By Lisa Clark 

Dazza & Keif are a couple of young blokes who just want lots of hot chicks and fame as B-boys but don’t really have the talent or the brains to get either. They are actually being expertly played by Keely Windred and Danni Ray who, as experienced Drag Kings, have got the characters down pat and are having a ball exploring gender, sexuality and male mateship through hip hop.

The show opens with the guys showing how obsessed they are with dicks and how anything can look like a dick. It goes on a bit too long, but that’s perfectly in keeping with their dumb personas pushing their agendas (and dicks) into the faces of others without caring about their audience. They are in Dazza’s living room (a sort of “Mom’s Basement” vibe) creating videos of their dance moves that they hope will go viral on line and make them famous. The show at times has a sort of Wayne’s World feel about it with a darker edge.

The character of Dazza is a Dazzaling creation of boorish, ignorant, bullying misogyny, there is very little to like in the character. At times genuinely intimidating he’s the sort of creep you might cross the street to avoid. So part of my problem with the show is; do I want to spend an hour listening to this jerk on stage, even though I know it’s satire and he’s being played by a very talented woman? It can be a little triggering when you’ve grown up around guys like this. It can also be freeing to be able to laugh openly at his stupid self-destructive behaviour. Luckily there is also the little side kick, as there often is. The nicer one who makes you wonder ‘Why does he hang out with that dick who treats him like shit?’ and Keif’s character softens the show somewhat and helps keep you engaged. Keif is another beautifully realised character who is able to have some nuance unlike Dazza wouldn’t know nuance if it bit him in the arse.

The other two characters played by Keely and Danni who pop up throughout are Prue-and-Trude-type snooty newsreaders Amber and Amanda. They show the versatility of the performers and add to the awe for the audience that these wildly different characters could be played by the same people. The costumes throughout are truly fabulous and the tech spot on.

A highlight of the show is a guest performer in a big group dance number – it was a great way to end the show with the boys stepping back a little to appreciate the talent of a woman, then joining in and the audience cheering for all of them. But unfortunately, that was not the end of the show. It felt like a mistake not to end the show on the high of that moment. Though I do get that Dazza and Keif would make that mistake and want to make the finale all about themselves alone.

This show, though a different beast, reminded me somewhat of the work of  Sista She, the brilliant comedy rap duo that started the careers of Candy Bowers and Sarah Ward (who performs as Yana Alana) in the early 2000s. Hopefully the talented Keely and Dani will also have career longevity as they are already building a strong fanbase. If you’ve ever wanted to sit back and laugh at the ridiculousness of dumb alpha-male wannabees, saying and doing idiotic things through B-boying being performed by two incredibly talented women this is the show for you.

Dazza & Keif Go Viral is on at The Coopers Malthouse til Apr 7

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2019/shows/dazza-and-keif-go-viral

5 Good Reasons To See Martin Dunlop in Small Tales Of Little Mercy

1. It’s a Southern Gothic parody show and I explain what Southern Gothic literary fiction is, so you’ll be able to tell that to your friends and make it sound like you done got book learning.

2. It’s a one-man play where I do all the characters so you don’t have to keep track of which actor does what, because I’m doing all of them. Isn’t that simpler?

3. You kept watching True Blood for the dialogue and the setting, not just all the hot butts.

4. You were led to the show by crows.

5. I promise to show you what they found in the river.

Small Tales Of Little Mercy is on at The Butterfly Club from April 12 to April 21
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2019/shows/small-tales-of-little-mercy

Dave Hynes, The Pineapple Orchestra

By Jess Welch 

Following his first Melbourne International Comedy Festival season last year, Dave Hynes is back with another 50 minutes of delightfully surreal, but incredibly fun, care-free comedy. A mix of stand up, sketch, and almost slapstick physical comedy. It’s a little bit of everything, but it somehow gels together into one charming package.

The Pineapple Orchestra feels wonderfully shambolic and, in a room the size of Crowded in the Vaults: Vault 10, right on the Yarra River, it’s an intimate experience. The show does require ample audience participation, so leave any hesitation at the door. Hynes’ endless enthusiasm shines, but it’s the energy from the audience is what makes this show special. That may be enough to put more than one introvert on alert, but don’t let that discourage you. Hynes immediately encourages the audience to work together. It can take a while for everyone to embrace the idea, but it ends up culminating in audience members cheering each other on, supporting each other and making the space feel safe. Any missteps or mistakes only seem to add to the show and make each night unique.

It might seem out of control at times, yet Hynes doesn’t let it get too far away from him. He reels it in when it gets derailed, drunk audience members or not. He runs the show like a far more seasoned performer, walking the fine line of improvisation and planned material, with almost no distinction between the two. One night might be completely different from another, tempting a repeat viewing, to try to peek behind the curtain at which jokes might make a return performance.

Hynes seemed a little nervous at the beginning, perhaps just the bonus of seeing the first night show, but he soon throws himself entirely, sometimes literally, into the performance. Whilst jokes abound, the physical comedy takes centre stage. The facial expressions are a wonder to behold and I never knew one face could do so many things.

Hynes second outing is a wonderfully silly show. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and sometimes that is exactly what is needed. It feels loose, at times a little too loose, but the time flies by and so long as you strap in for the ride, it’s a rollercoaster that is worth experiencing. It’s not a show to see if you want deep philosophical takes on politics or religion, but if you leave all your worries at the door, embrace the pineapple motif and go with the flow, it’s a fun journey.

One word of caution however – if you are allergic to pineapples, maybe give this show a miss.

The Pineapple Orchestra is on at Crowded in the Vaults: Vault 10.

See website for details: 

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2019/shows/the-pineapple-orchestra

The Establishment : Le Bureau de Strange

By Colin Flaherty

With the name The Establishment you could easily expect a show lampooning the Upper British classes. Although they had the air of a pair of aristocratic twits about them, these dapper gents (Neil Frost and Dan Lees) instead gave us a daft hour of unbridled joy. They went out of their way to set our expectations as low as possible but ultimately exceeded this level with everyone finding at least something stupid to laugh at.

Lees’ clowning training got a workout as his physicality provided plenty of colour and movement to cover for a lack of traditional narrative. Frost was no slouch as his merest gesture generating huge laughs. They used the entire room as their playground and frequently kept the punters on their toes with plenty of false starts, strange parlour games and lots of silly straw polls. Both were brilliant in indulging in some surreal verbal flights of fancy within their effortless banter that kept us laughing throughout.

Audience participation featured prominently in this show, both leading punters to pre-scripted punchlines as well as letting them flex their impro muscles a little. The opening night audience were bang up for getting involved but Frost and Lees are suitably non-threatening to ensure results from even the most timid crowd.

It was all about comedic play as they assigned roles to audience members and gave them various things to respond to (nothing too taxing except for one “game” punter). The duo had the brilliant knack of manipulating a crowd with the vaguest of suggestions, then sitting back and enjoying the resulting mayhem. Free form sing-a-longs were immense fun and ad hoc party games had us in hysterics at the wacky results.

This seemingly ramshackle and faux unstructured performance is not everyone’s cup of tea but if you allow yourself to get swept up in the anarchy you’re sure to have a whale of a time.

Le Bureau de Strange is on at The Cooper’s Malthouse until April 7
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2019/shows/the-establishment

5 Good Reasons To See Hannah Camilleri in Big Snot

1. See a revolving door of wild yet nuanced characters performed by one person.

2. “Be prepared to embrace the utter ridiculousness that culminates when Hannah weaves her tapestry…” Onya Magazine 2018

3. It’s like screen to stage in Big Snot where Camilleri draws inspiration from VHS classics and 90s TV and performs on a stage. Screen to stage.

4. Camilleri was actually a humble Comedy Festival usher for years and now you can witness all that pent up frustration explode on the other side of the camera, or whatever, in her second Comedy Festival

5. It’s on at 9.45pm so Big Snot could be your final show of the night. We’ve planned your evening: see show at 7.15pm, see the other show at 8.30pm and then head to Big Snot at Globe Alley (formerly Belleville) for 9.45pm

Big Snot is on at Globe Alley from April 15 to April 21
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2019/shows/big-snot