Menu
By Shane Murphy
The Melba Spiegeltent is a fitting venue for After Dark Theatre’s Society. It’s nestled in the old car park of what is now Circus Oz’s HQ in the depths of old Collingwood. It’s just a building away from the grind and noise of the Tote Hotel and the echoes of Collingwood Tech’s courses in boot making still hang in the air. Society is an “adults
Read More
By Shane Murphy
Englishman Alistair Barrie is appearing at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival for the first time and his show is a delight. Titling the show The InternationAL, Barrie sets out playing the left wing anthem The Internationale on the PA merely to see if anyone recognises it enough to hum along. The Friday night audience sits numbly through it, vaguely wondering what
Read More
By Shane Murphy
The title of this show was enough for me. The tension that a Millennial would feel in not looking at his screen for a whole hour sounded a funny premise around which a show could revolve. The New Zealand comic (latterly located in New York), Guy Montgomery has a gentle manner. This is not super aggressive
Read More
By Shane Murphy
The Comic’s Lounge in North Melbourne feels like the beer barn of comedy venues in this festival. It brings a chunk of Frankston’s infamous Pier Hotel into the inner city, while conjuring up some memories of the long gone Last Laugh in Collingwood. It’s big, and quite full considering it’s a cool Tuesday evening. It’s
Read More
By Shane Murphy
After a blessed run of terrific, thought provoking shows and a lot of laughs, there had to a misfire. Unfortunately Gabe Hogan’s show was it. Hogan’s show is ostensibly about discovering her inner gay self at age 36. She bounces onstage and makes straight for her wine, making a crack about only wanting to get there
Read MoreBy Shane Murphy
Speakeasy HQ is an entirely appropriate venue for the First World White Girls. Speakeasy bills itself as the home of vaudeville and these girls are very showbizzy. In fact, you might even call their show a musical, and a very funny one. The White Girls sing their way through an hour of first world problems accompanied
Read More
By Shane Murphy
Take one part Los Trios Ringbarkus, three parts Pizza/Housos crew, endless amounts of absurdist whimsy, 40,000 volts of stored up energy and a smattering of every starflower, hippie ragger you’ve ever seen and you end up with Julia Rorke and Elysia Hall in Not Another F****d B****h in India. This is an hour of super
Read More
By Shane Murphy
By sheer fluke, I’ve seen two late shows that spring from a similar base. If Chase Paradise was a show to bring your blokes to, then Alexandra Hines’ IM.Mortal feels like the show I’d want young women to see for its scathing portrayal of celebrity worship and lifestyles. It’s not quite as brash as Paradise,
Read More
By Shane Murphy
The Comedy Zone is an omnibus show of four stand ups and a young MC billed as “comedy’s newest heroes”. It’s good value. You get to see a few minutes of five different acts, none of whom you’ve likely heard of, in one swift hit. Rowan Thambar is the MC tonight. He’s a little less comfortable with being
Read More
By Shane Murphy
Woo woo woo hoo! The screams and hoots from a very partisan audience are the loudest I’ve heard in a while at a smallish preview show. We’ve heard a very ’80s radio announcer voiceover blast through the speakers, telling us all about the “girls on show” and the “meggaaastrip” that’s coming, as Chase Paradise sashays
Read More