The Melbourne International Comedy Festival has kicked off for another year, and I was lucky enough to be able to get tickets to so many amazing comedians that I wanted to see. So I've decided to review all the shows I see, and to include some general comedy festival tips as well (scroll to the end for those!). Now, for some improv, with The Big HOO-HAA!
I feel like improv can go one of two ways. There's the awkward nightmare, where you feel embarrassed for the people on stage and die a little inside every time someone freezes or can't think of a line. Then there is the high-energy show, where the actors come up with ridiculous lines and situations, and it's just a lot of fun. The Big HOO-HAA! is the latter.
I haven't actually seen a live improv show before, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect when entering the tiny, hot room in the bottom of Town Hall. The stage was so small, how would the actors fit on there, let alone put on a show? But put on a show they did. And this is what makes for a quality improv show. Tiny space, BIG laughs.
The Big HOO-HAA! sees two teams battle it out in a variety of improv games, for the winner's trophy. There was a great mix of music, wordplay, and acting, something for everyone. Plus, the perfect amount of audience participation. As an audience, most of us don't like to be drawn attention to, we don't want to be picked on or put on the spot, but with this show you can be involved, (but only if you want to!) by calling out suggestions for the various categories.
The cast was amazing, they all had such confidence, there were no awkward moments, and their fumbles were handled brilliantly, often making us laugh as much as their successes. They were all such vibrant personalities, I wouldn't be surprised to see any of them doing big things in the future.
I can't fault any member of the cast, because they were all stars. The line-up I saw was:
I feel like improv can go one of two ways. There's the awkward nightmare, where you feel embarrassed for the people on stage and die a little inside every time someone freezes or can't think of a line. Then there is the high-energy show, where the actors come up with ridiculous lines and situations, and it's just a lot of fun. The Big HOO-HAA! is the latter.
I haven't actually seen a live improv show before, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect when entering the tiny, hot room in the bottom of Town Hall. The stage was so small, how would the actors fit on there, let alone put on a show? But put on a show they did. And this is what makes for a quality improv show. Tiny space, BIG laughs.
The Big HOO-HAA! sees two teams battle it out in a variety of improv games, for the winner's trophy. There was a great mix of music, wordplay, and acting, something for everyone. Plus, the perfect amount of audience participation. As an audience, most of us don't like to be drawn attention to, we don't want to be picked on or put on the spot, but with this show you can be involved, (but only if you want to!) by calling out suggestions for the various categories.
The cast was amazing, they all had such confidence, there were no awkward moments, and their fumbles were handled brilliantly, often making us laugh as much as their successes. They were all such vibrant personalities, I wouldn't be surprised to see any of them doing big things in the future.
I can't fault any member of the cast, because they were all stars. The line-up I saw was:
MC: Paul Richards
Bones Team: Anna Renzenbrink, Jaron Why, Greg Lavell
Hearts Team: Elly Squire, Luke Ryan, Isabella Valette
Muso: Caleb Garfinkel
Some of them have their own solo shows as well, which I think would definitely be worth checking out. The best part of The Big HOO-HAA! is that the show is always different, so you could go every night and have an amazing, unique experience.
I left the show with a renewed appreciation for improv and a sore face from laughing so hard.
Where can you find The Big HOO-HAA!?
At the Comedy Festival until April 21. Friday and Saturday nights at 11pm, Mondays at 8.30pm.
Find tickets here: https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2018/shows/the-big-hoo-haa-melbourne
Every Friday night at The Butterfly Club.
Get tickets here: https://thebutterflyclub.com/show/the-big-hoo-haa
Tips for visiting the Comedy Festival:
TICKETS
Of course, all the big acts sell out pretty quickly, but if you can't get tickets to who you wanted, or if you're just not sure who to see, why not try someone new? If you head to Town Hall, you will see so many people handing out flyers for shows, this is also great for last minute tickets, if you have seen an early show and want to extend your comedy fix for the night. If you're not sure who to see, it can also be great to see a show with more than one comedian, so you get a bit of variety.
There can be massive queues if you're buying them on the night though, so if you can it's best to book in advance, which you can do here: https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2018
PARKING
If you're driving into the city, parking can cause massive anxiety, where to park, does it cost money, how far is it from the venue, etc. I've found the best thing to do is to pre-book your parking online, which you can do here: https://www.wilsonparking.com.au/book-a-bay. You just find the closest parking lot to your venue, book it, and when you show up you just tap your card to enter and exit. It's also sometimes a bit cheaper, but it is cheap anyway, usually about $6 for the night. You also get Velocity points, which is an extra bonus.
TICKETS
Of course, all the big acts sell out pretty quickly, but if you can't get tickets to who you wanted, or if you're just not sure who to see, why not try someone new? If you head to Town Hall, you will see so many people handing out flyers for shows, this is also great for last minute tickets, if you have seen an early show and want to extend your comedy fix for the night. If you're not sure who to see, it can also be great to see a show with more than one comedian, so you get a bit of variety.
There can be massive queues if you're buying them on the night though, so if you can it's best to book in advance, which you can do here: https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2018
PARKING
If you're driving into the city, parking can cause massive anxiety, where to park, does it cost money, how far is it from the venue, etc. I've found the best thing to do is to pre-book your parking online, which you can do here: https://www.wilsonparking.com.au/book-a-bay. You just find the closest parking lot to your venue, book it, and when you show up you just tap your card to enter and exit. It's also sometimes a bit cheaper, but it is cheap anyway, usually about $6 for the night. You also get Velocity points, which is an extra bonus.
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