LOL moments of 2013: Melbourne International Comedy Festival Review
Meld reporters Juliana Mare, Nkandu Chipale Mwenge and Jamie-maree Shipton review some standout shows from this year’s Comedy Festival.
David O’Doherty
By Juliana Mare
Photo: MICF
He’s funny when he tells jokes standing up, but even funnier when he plays his miniature keyboard and sings wittily written songs with an occasional nonsense lyric – “I’m gonna rock your world in quite a gentle way. Like a delicious cake as opposed to a bag of drugs.” Despite the lacklustre setup including the initials D.O.D masking-taped to the curtain behind the stage, the Irish comedian produced some genuine laugh-out-loud moments. Yes, the song lyrics are sometimes ridiculously long-ended and go off on wild tangents, but you’ve got to appreciate the ingenuity and wit behind musical comedy.
Stephen K Amos
By Juliana Mare
Photo: MICF
From the outlandishly mocking accents to the bizarre encounters he has with fans, all the stories Amos tells aren’t just chuckle worthy, they’re downright hilarious – even if some of them are borderline offensive. His brutally honest style of comedy pokes fun at drinking, sex and a variety of contemporary issues, not to mention his fondness for picking on members in the front-row. So popular and adored is Amos that at the end of his set, members of the audience shouted out old jokes of his they wanted to hear, which he happily obliged.
Urzila Carlson
By Juliana Mare
Photo: MICF
South African/New Zealand comedian Urzila Carlson doesn’t ignore the elephant in the room. Rather, she purposely draws attention to it, unashamedly telling stories about the often controversial topics of weight and sexuality. Her show, I’m going to need a second opinion focuses on a past medical drama with a bunch of other personal, humorous experiences thrown in the mix. Having left members of the audience crying with laughter, Carlson is definitely an up-and-coming comedian to keep an eye on.
Kitty Flanagan
By Juliana Mare
Photo: MICF
Flanagan opened with a bold mockery of burlesque shows and followed through with plenty of tales about her pet hates in the opposite sex and dished out a fair whack of criticism against babies, temperamental teenagers and women’s forward fashion today. Despite the slightly annoying habit of repeating the punch-line several times if it didn’t receive a loud enough response, Flanagan’s show which had a somewhat cynical view on life and its experiences, was definitely enjoyable.
Faulty Towers: The Dining Experience
By Nkandu Mwenge
Photo: MICF
What was most appealing about the Faulty Tower’s the Dining Experience was the interaction between the audience and actors. The audience members became props as they were used instrumentally throughout the show. The show’s actors created a fluidity out of the randomness as they drew on the actions and jokes of the audience while sticking to a pre-determined structure. Besides this of course was the appeal of the whole experience – a night full of laughter over a three-course meal served by characters from the 1970s hit sitcom, Fawlty Towers.
The performances were extremely funny, casual and realistic. And the actors did an extremely good job sticking to their characters throughout the night. The food on the other hand was average but the service of the bar staff at the Agean made up for it. All in all the Faulty Tower’s the Dining Experience was enjoyable and worthwhile.
Josh Thomas
By Jamie-maree Shipton
Hilarious as always, Josh Thomas’s awkward style was as entertaining as ever. He performed true to his style, coming across with that ‘best friend’ persona he does so well, cemented through his personal antidotes and everyday antics that always got a laugh. He is as down-to-earth and funny as he appears on television.
Jimeoin
By Jamie-maree Shipton
Performing to a less than full audience at the beginning of the show, Jimeoin didn’t let that impact the calibre of his comedic brilliance, even ad-libbing jokes at the expense of the late attendees. Although some may have felt his humour was a little bit stark, even perhaps offensive at points, he was ultimately able to break through and get the audience to have a giggle and laugh at the pretensions people upkeep in everyday life – from going to the toilet to food shopping. Jimeoin finished with a musical act at the end – though it did drag on a bit, most of the lyrics got a laugh and showed just how spontaneous a performace Jimeoin gives.