Reviews – Page 76 – Squirrel Comedy

Timothy Clark – badboycomedy69@hotmail.com

By Elyce Phillips

We all had slightly embarrassing email addresses when we were younger. Email addresses that spoke to just how cool we were in high school. My first email included a reference to a Tetley tea commercial I thought was pretty great, so we all know I was very cool and definitely had a lot of friends. Timothy Clark’s old email address makes for a brilliant opening sketch in badboycomedy69@hotmail.com, and follows through the hour as an example of misguided youth. It’s a terrific show filled with stand-up and storytelling that looks back on Clark’s earlier, awkward days.

Clark’s act is confident, polished and always a step or two ahead of the audience. Even when you think you’ve adjusted to his comedic style, he still manages to catch you off-guard. The stories in badboycomedy69@hotmail.com are funny and honest – the usual tales of gigs gone wrong and romantic misadventures – but are pushed a step or two further than expected. There’s a Tinder story, but it diverts somewhere weird. There’s a tale of a nightmare corporate job, but then a killer jazz joke. For every stand-up trope this show hits, there is a delightfully surprising counterpart to keep you on your toes. Clark’s delivery strikes a fine balance between relatable vulnerability and attention-holding bravado. He’s quick to get the audience onside and the energy stayed up right through the show.

badboycomedy69@hotmail.com is stand-up done well, filled with anecdotes that feel familiar but are still unique enough to keep you laughing. It’s a fine example of the fact that any topic can feel fresh if it’s tackled with enough talent. Timothy Clark has crafted a belter of a show, and it’s got a killer finale that’s sure to impress any fan of late ‘90s pop culture.

badboycomedy69@hotmail.com is on at Number 12 La Barre Electronique until April 9
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2017/shows/badboycomedy69athotmail-com

Laura Davis – Cake in the Rain

By Lisa Clark

It seems that the ravages of 2016 have affected the comedians of this years MICF deeply. So far the majority of shows I’ve seen have been about fear and anxiety. Laura Davis’s show is about the world disintegrating around us like a cake in the rain.

Laura has developed in leaps and bounds as a comedian since moving to Melbourne from Perth. Her first show was based on her life and health issues which explain why there is a sense of fragility to her standup style, but what has emerged over the years is that not unlike Wolverine she has a backbone of Adamantium and a mind like a steel trap. Laura’s best work has a political edge that can produce an audible jaw drop from the audience with cutting lines that can suddenly and unexpectedly stab you in the solar plexus.

Laura’s show rages against the hallmarks of the approaching apocalypse and not always at the usual suspects. She hates the dumb supercilious doomsday preppers who haven’t really thought it all through and our own smugness in thinking that we as Australians are better than America or the UK when in fact, we have our own issues we should be dealing with. Laura has learned firsthand how wealthy companies won’t pay their staff properly through hilariously horrific sounding gigs she has had to turn down. The impressive part is how Laura has such a unique and hilarious take on all of these things.

I don’t like comparing comedians but at the moment I would compare Laura to Wil Anderson. Laura is that good. She can wrangle an audience into submission and have them eating out of her hand. She has her own refreshingly unique take on the world that is hilarious and at times devastating in its honesty. The underground bunker vibe of Fort Delta is perfect for the post-apocalyptic admonitions of Cake in the Rain, but it is clear that the astonishingly talented Laura should be in massive rooms playing to Wil Anderson level audiences.

Laura Davis’ Cake In The Rain is on at Fort Delta until April 22
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2017/shows/laura-davis

Justin Hamilton – Bunta Boy

By Colin Flaherty

Most know Justin Hamilton as a brilliant story telling solo stand up performer but before that he was part of a musical comedy duo The Bunta Boys, Jezza & Dougie (Damien Kilsby), who from 1994 to 1999 were an unstoppable force on the Adelaide comedy scene. Bunta Boy documents that time in his life with wonderful stories of wacky hijinks that allow him to reflect on the comedy learning curve he undertook, how he has developed as a person and his early body of work (both good and bad). Think of it as an excerpt from Inside The Actors Studio without James Lipton.

For Hamilton completists, this show is essential. It’s full of uproarious anecdotes that most outside of Adelaide didn’t get a chance to witness in the flesh. He has covered a number of them before both on stage and on podcast but it is great to have them presented as one in somewhat chronological order. Some visual aids would have been nice but he does such a wonderful job of describing events in great detail that we feel like we are there. I guess we will have to make do with the smattering of images posted on social media to see how the boys looked.

A surprising treat is the inclusion of some songs from the duo’s repertoire, performed by Justin to a backing track of guitar accompaniment. While he doesn’t have an angelic voice, he can hold a tune to an agreeable degree and it gives us Bunta virgins a taste of their silly songs.

Bowie obsessives will be able to decipher the meaning behind the carefully chosen tunes played before the show but along with music from another recently deceased musical icon, mortality looms large over this performance. Beginning with tales from recent times involving health issues, Justin is looking at how time has ravaged him and uses the Bunta anecdotes to look back at his naïve and seemingly indestructible younger self. It’s never dour as he reliably provides a constant stream of jokes to keep us laughing while we contemplate.

Justin has stated that he is again stepping back from stand up to concentrate on other pursuits. This piece of hilarious nostalgia is the perfect thing to tide us over until he next returns to the stage.

Buntu Boy is on at The Melbourne Town Hall (Cloak Room) until April 15
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2017/shows/justin-hamilton-bunta-boy

Luke McGregor – Almost Fixed it

By Lisa Clark

Luke McGregor was always a bit of a fixer upper. His standup comedy, since he landed on the mainland from his home in Tasmania has always been about his insecurities. He’s been so stressed about his looks, his OCD and his prowess with the ladies that there are times when his audience genuinely worries about him. This all came to a head last year when Luke decided to do something about these things and his show is about all of this and it’s repercussions.

The first half of the show is for all those Luke Warm Sex fans and may make any shy audience members who’ve come for the OCD stuff squirm a little. Yes for all those curious folks, Luke has got a girlfriend and he is learning how to cohabitate with her. This comes as a relief for fans who followed him on Luke Warm Sex who give him a round of applause. Luke has a lot of observances to share about getting used to his new living arrangement, but they are not your usual ones. The show has made Luke even more open about issues that most people would prefer to keep quiet. The stage is a safe place for Luke.

Luke has been the King of Self Depreciative comedy for some time, it’s great to see that despite him gaining in confidence as a performer, it is not impacting negatively on his comedy. The second half of the show deals more directly with how he’s been working on his ‘issues’ and garners another encouraging round of applause. He’s worried that if he fixes all his problems and tics that he might lose what has made him a successful comedian.

This is a warm, funny and fascinating show by Luke. The highlight though was about 2/3rds in when about six people arrived late to sit in the front row. Luke handled it so brilliantly that it showed his stagecraft, comic timing and ability to judge his audience. It proved that his comedy is not just a product of his personal issues, he is a born comedian who will be as great without them as he has been with them.

Almost Fixed It is on at Thhe Comedy Theatre until April 9
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2017/shows/luke-mcgregor

Snort With Friends

By Elyce Phillips

Snort are a bunch of up-and-coming New Zealand comedians, banding together to do some great longform improv. With a rotating cast of performers and guest monologists every night, no two shows will be the same. I caught a performance where the cast included Rose Matafeo, Guy Montgomery, Donna Brookbanks, Alice Snedden, Tom Sainsbury and Brynley Stent.

With Friends runs the Armando improv format. One person will deliver a monologue prompted by a word provided by the audience, and then the team will perform scenes based on that monologue. On the evening I attended, there was a monologue from Snort member Alice Snedden, as well as from special guests Aaron Chen and Tom Walker. The best part of the stories is seeing how each performer interprets their prompt. “Kookaburra” led to a story about cricket gear, “pickle” to an in-depth description of a meal you can buy in Marrickville, and “abyss” to some bad wrestling gimmicks.

The Snort crew have a great rapport and play fast and loose with the format. Some of the best moments in the night came from scenes left to run a bit too long, confusing interactions and cast members throwing each other under the bus in general. This is clearly a group that is comfortable enough playing together that they know they can test each other’s limits. Stent was a standout as a maid/pickle saleswoman/camel saleswoman with an unplaceable broad accent. Sainsbury and Brookbanks were fantastic as a couple on the run after having a Christmas that was a little too “edgy”. Snort have hit a sweet spot with their improv – silly but not out-of-control, unpredictable yet skilful.

Snort With Friends is a wonderful hour of late-night mayhem and is a must-see for improv fans.

Snort With Friends is on at the Victoria Hotel Acacia Room until April 22
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2017/shows/snort-with-friends

Andy Zaltzman – Plan Z

By Angela East

Alternative political comedian Andy Zaltzman starts with the jokes before the show even officially begins. A miked voice from behind the stage delivers a pre-show preamble, encouraging incoming patrons to find a seat, switch off their phones and unplug all landlines. The voice-over continues with a self-deprecating apology to long time fans for there being a large audience when they should be used to having a row each themselves. The in-show warnings and apologies increase in absurdity until the laughs are large. The audience are well and truly warmed up by the time the doors shut and it is time for Zaltzman to hit the stage to an extended ringmaster-style intro.

Some initial audience banter establishes that there is a large percentage of the crowd who are already familiar with Zaltzman through his long running podcast The Bugle, which provides a chance for some ribbing of his former co-host John Oliver.
Zaltzman covers all the bases you may expect from the current news cycle, quickly moving back and forth through Brexit, Syria, and Trump. Sound clips and some fruit and veg props aid the laughs as he delves into Trump’s brain, Australian news headlines, and Australian politics with a soft toy Prime Minister Turnbull making an appearance.

The subject matter could have the potential to be quite bleak or overused, but the laughs are steady and the mood is kept up with a loose performance and just enough moments of silliness. Zaltzman mixes metaphors and creates juxtapositions to great effect, hilariously comparing our immigration policy to AFL, explaining why test match cricket is akin to reading novels, and also—by taking a quiz with a sceptical audience member—proving that the best thing in life is probably sports.

The audience were primed from the moment they entered the room, and Zaltzman delivers with a rewardingly fun hour full of sharp gags and satire.

Andy Zaltzman : Plan Z is on at the Town hall until April 23rd
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2017/shows/andy-zaltzman