REVIEWS: HANNAH GADSBY
HAPPINESS IS A BEDSIDE TABLE Hannah Gadsby is that girl you want to be your best friend. She’s funny, but not at other people’s expense. She’s interesting, but not in the “I go to bondage nights for kicks” kinda way. She’s vulnerable, but in a manner that has the audience rooting for her. When she tells a story it’s not hyperbolic and not overly embellished. Happiness Is A Bedside Table is enthralling, witty and dare I say it – inspirational. Self-deprecating humour is a tricky one, and if done wrong, can flop easily. While Hannah started the show on shaky legs, it fast grew into a hilarious hour detailing bad hard-to-leave relationships, shit jobs and low confidence. Her strength was focusing on a narrative of her life, so we got a sense of the beginning, middle and end. That also meant the whole show had a natural progression and wasn’t convoluted by disjointed jokes awkwardly weaved together. I like Hannah. Because, unlike other comedians she makes next to no jokes at the expense of others. And even though she jokes about herself, there is a sense of triumph which was further solidified by her grand exit. Well-constructed, and well delivered – a show not to be missed. BY TAMARA VOGL Hannah Gadsby – Happiness Is A Bedside Table is playing at the Melbourne Town Hall, Supper Room until Sunday April 21.
THE COMEDY ZONE
The Comedy Zone provides a tantalising tasting plate of comedians discovered through RAW Comedy and Class Clown competitions. Five comedians take to the stage to give you a veritable concoction of the finest up-and-comers. Amos Gill was the chosen MC. His friendly smile assured the audience that though he is young, he’s got this. We were right to trust him. His presence was commanding, his jokes were sharp, his smile was contagious. Amos was the runner up for the prestigious Raw Comedy competition in 2012. First up after Amos we had the freshly 19-year-old Neel Kolhatkar. You believe his youth to be either an elaborate lie or at least a redundant fact when you witness Neel swagger onto the stage. His confidence is entirely justified: this guy is extremely funny. Neel won the Melbourne Comedy Festival Class Clowns competition in 2009. Since then he has sauntered his way onto stages across Australia with far more confidence than one so young should be capable of. Neel’s impressions are truly brilliant, you could easily think you were watching a seasoned actor in his
DAVE BLOUSTIEN
FAULTY TOWERS
Dave Bloustien’s Grand Guignol was meant to play at last year’s comedy festival, but wasn’t ready in time. So, 12 extra months of fine-tuning and a season at the Adelaide Fringe, and it’d be fair to expect a pinpoint-polished performance, right? Not so much. But the charm of Dave Bloustien is such that a little shambolocism actually does wonders for the show. And what a lovely show it is! Based on the horror plays of the famed Parisian Théâtre du Grand-Guignol, this “comedy of terrors” is ever-so-slightly shaped on the lightly spooky conceit of mise-en-abîme, or playwithin-a-play, giving us a collection of eerie stories loosely connected by a shadow puppet narrative involving Hansel and Gretel. Threading ancient Egyptian and early 20th century French history, macabre Germanic fairytales, coffee snobs and the tragifarce of modern Australian politics (did someone mention shadow puppets?) into a satisfying cohesive whole, the sharp and punny writing shines as Bloustien performs multiple roles with genial and amusing verve, although he is – unsurprisingly – most comfortable in his own skin, so to speak. He does stumble at times, and is mildly hampered by technical accidents at others, but like any good comedian he turns potential disaster into comedic gold. Because Bloustien is a good comedian. He’s also a selfconfessed niche comedian: despite the appearance of a Pharaoh’s detachable penis, this is not lowbrow stuff. It’s also not a gag-a-minute yak fest, preferring instead to build to its punchlines, but it’s fun and silly, and always smart.
I’ve loved Fawlty Towers as long as I can remember, but I’ve always been somewhat scared to attend the Faulty Towers - The Dining Experience. I didn’t know that spending a night being abused by a John Cleese lookalike and trying to explain my order to a faux-Manuel would be that enjoyable. But I was wrong. The hugely successful Dining Experience was created in Brisbane and has been running around the world since 1997 in countries as diverse as Bahrain, Malta, Portugal and the United Arab Emirates, as well as hugely successful runs in London’s West End, the USA, Australia and New Zealand. And now I know why. It’s hard to imagine a more accurate portrayal of the everpopular hotel owner-operators Basil and Sybil Fawlty and their likeable but hopeless Spanish waiter Manuel. The cast are supremely talented, impeccably portraying these characters in voice, movement and mannerisms. Only one third of the show is scripted, with some references to classic set pieces from the original episodes woven in to the evenings proceedings as the dinner progresses. The cast seem to be everywhere at once, chatting with guests, and seamlessly working with the real waiters and venue staff to serve the three course meal. There are many laugh out loud moments, but general feelings of mirth are the flavour of the night, as diners are never far from the consistently hilarious action. The Aegean is a great venue for the show, with the open space and high visibility providing the perfect setting for the evening’s antics. The meal was standard but certainly not unpleasant, and staff (even Sybil) were helpful and reassuring to the many diners who seemed petrified that Basil was about to yell at them. Expect lots of laughs and be prepared to be drawn into some highly enjoyable audience participation.
BY MELANIE SHERIDAN
BY JOSH FERGUS
Dave Bloustien - Grand Guignol has finished its season.
Faulty Towers - The Dining Experience is playing at The Aegean Restaurant until Sunday April 21.
GRAND GUIGNOL
golden year. Just when you believe you cannot be more impressed, Neel raps and sings like an absolute champion. Next up we had the ladies representing, though ever so tentatively. Victoria’s own Hayman Kent walks apologetically onto the stage. Don’t trust her seemingly awkward demeanor, this girl knows exactly what she is doing. The audience looked engaged but unsure as Hayman softly greeted them. The instantaneous look of surprise that ensued was amusing as Hayman delivered the audience with ease to their first loud laugh. For one so cute, it seems unfair that she is simultaneously so incredibly witty. Ivan Aristeguieta salsas onto the stage. Not in the journalist putting a sneaky racial spin on his walk kind of way, he quite literally entered the stage doing the salsa. I challenge you to not instantly warm to a guy who salsas onto the stage with the warmest smile you may have ever seen. There are times when observations from a newcomer to Australia about our national traits can be tiresome, this was not one of those times. Every single insight felt fresh, newfangled and faultlessly funny. Ivan even threw in a Schapelle Corby reference to the audiences utter delight.
THE DINING EXPERIENCE
PAJAMA MEN
JUST THE TWO OF EACH OF US
Somehow I missed the Pajama Men in 2009, when they won the Barry Award, and again in every show they’ve done in Melbourne since. But if Just the Two of Each of Us is indicative (pretty certain it is) then I finally get why all the fuss, etc. Wearing pyjamas, and with no set and only a couple of chairs as props (and the occasional keyboard tinkling of their on-stage musician), the titular Men – Shenoah Allen and Mark Chavez – act out a loose tale involving a horrible beast, an immortal king, a man in search of challenge, a magic spider and one damn sexy motorbike. They perform every role in the often multi-character, interconnected skits, which frequently necessitates blinkof-an-eye leaps between roles. They pull off these leaps in a casually relaxed way that still manages to appear seamless, and highly amusing, and it’s a joy to watch and probably remains so even if you’ve seen them before. Even more of a joy to behold is the physicality with which the duo imbues these characters with life. Combined with a script that makes dad jokes seem cutting edge, Just the Two of Each of Us will surely continue the Pajama Men’s run of successful Melbourne International Comedy Festival shows. BY MELANIE SHERIDAN Pajama Men – Just The Two Of Each Of Us is running at Arts Centre, Fairfax Studio until Sunday April 21.
Finally we had Tien Tran, the winner of RAW Comedy in Western Australia. His delivery was pan-faced, guileless, and well crafted. Tien’s audience was entreated to a mixture of insightful social commentary and jokes about AIDS and monkey rape. His material is versatile, his delivery is well-timed and his humour is just the right mix of scathing and silly. The Comedy Zone is renown for selecting those people who will do great things and this year their selection has
been impeccable. If you don’t know what show to see at the festival, it’s worth seeing these guys before their ticket prices soar.
their values, their behaviour and the society around them, and you simply use humour to break down their defences, then you’re really onto something. In terms of lowlights: I’ve received some filthy looks from concerned parents as I sit alone at childrens’ shows. On one particular day, I honestly accidentally wore a trench coat. So, so, so uncomfortable for everybody in that room. I was also brought onstage and dressed as Princess Peach to the evil, mocking laughter of 5-yearolds. Little shits. Many people ask me what the worst shows I’ve seen are, but look – these people have the balls to get up in front of strangers and talk about their insecurities and put so much work into trying to entertain an audience that it would be unfair to make fun of their work. What is terrible to me might be hysterical to someone else.
That being said, I’ve been very honest in my video reviews, and will continue to be. I try not to be nasty, but sometimes I think that the joke I’ll make about the show is funnier than the show itself so I go ahead with saying something playfully silly. I mean no harm. So as I plough through weeks two and three, and aim to not only crack the 100 but also the record (145), if you see my hairy mug around the place, please say hello and give me some fucking sushi.
BY TESS WOODWARD The Comedy Zone is on at Trades Hall, Old Council Chambers until Sunday April 21.
THE FUNNY TONNE
SOME SHITTY THOUGHTS AFTER SEEING 76 SHOWS SO FAR A month ago, I applied to be a contestant in the Funny Tonne – a comedy festival initiative where three of us race to see as many shows at MICF as we can. Whoever has the emptiest life and most spare time – wins. Just like most things in my life, I sort of jokingly applied, threw in a dick joke, and nek minnit I’ve been accepted. For every show I see, I also agreed to film a short 10-15 second review on my phone for The Age. They’ve called me the ‘Comikaze’, even though that makes me sound more like a suicidal communist than anything else. So make sure you check out those videos guys and also check out Marx’s Communist Manifesto wow what a great read. I was a huge comedy nut heading into the Funny Tonne, and I still am, but in some ways seeing all these shows has tainted stand-up comedy for me. I’m predicting punchlines all the time, not from ingenuity, just because most comedians rely on certain factors to cause laughter. Surprise, tension, superiority, exaggeration etc. I really appreciate it when I come across someone trying to be original and different. Even if it’s just physical comedy like Daniel Oldaker, or following Xavier Toby dressed as a penguin as part of a walking tour of the city in 2013 – When We Were Idiots. They’re not necessarily the best shows, but they’ve been refreshing for me as a funny tonner. The one thing I’ve learnt that separates the excellent
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comedians from the good ones is the ability to deliver material in a manner that resembles a conversation rather than a monologue. This is not a rule, however, as comics like Paul Foot can generate much laughter simply by being so absurd and different. It’s just what I’ve found audiences respond best to. I don’t know what I’ve learned about myself, except for my ability to scoff down shitty sushi in seconds and also strangely that I find any personification of animals hilarious. It could be the worst comedian in history up on stage and if they say something like, ‘So then I turned around and my cat was ordering a Big Mac in the drivethru!’ I will no doubt fist pump. I’m only about 10 days in and already I’ve had some incredible highlights. I’ve been privileged enough to see so many talented comics like Dayne Rathbone, Matt Okine, Danny Bhoy, Greg Fleet and more. Speaking of Greg Fleet, it was interesting to consider what the criteria should be to rate a show. Is it how much the show makes me laugh? Is it how much it makes me think? What about stage production? Greg Fleet, much like Simon Keck, wasn’t shit-ya-g-string laugh out loud funny, but it changed my perspective a little bit, and I love that. It sounds silly to say, but comedy isn’t just about laughter. As Bill Hicks showed, it can be a powerful tool to inspire people and change the way they think. When your material makes the audience question themselves,
, BEAT S COMEDY FESTIVAL GUIDE 2013 BROUGHT TO YOU BY GRAVITY ESPRESSO
BY NICK TARAS You can follow Nick’s attempt to break the record and read his reviews on the Comedy Festival website. You can also view his video reviews on The Age website.