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!). Today's must-see show belongs to the one and only, Demi Lardner!
You know how sometimes you have a dream that, unlike most of your dreams, is exciting and weird, and when you wake up you wish you could go back to sleep and fall back into that dream? Well, that's what Demi Lardner's show is like.
It is unpredictable, a bit weird, a bit crazy, and so much fucking fun. You literally have no idea what's going to happen next. Will Demi leave the room? Dance? Request something from the audience? Read a poem? We don't know, but we do know that whatever it is will make us laugh embarrassingly hard.
Amongst the madness lies a common understanding, with jokes about reality TV, and weird habits that all dads seem to possess. However, Demi takes this material and pushes it to the next level. Add to that a high energy performance and the excellent music and lights component, and you have one of my favourite shows this festival. It is easy to see why Demi has won so many comedy awards over the last few years.
Demi Lardner is the sum of all the weird parts of your brain that have escaped and come to life. Her show is all the strange, creative parts of you that exist when you are a child, but get repressed somewhere along the way. It is the bizarre thoughts that sneak into your head late at night as you are falling asleep, a cross between an improv exercise and a child's drawing. It is the perfect mix of jokes, physical comedy, music and surprise. I highly recommend checking it out.
*Note: there is a little bit of audience involvement in the show, but nothing embarrassing. The small room makes you feel like you are all there enjoying the experience together, and I don't think anyone was unfairly singled out. If that does worry you a little bit, I hope that doesn't put you off the show at all, because it really is fantastic. Check out the video of Demi's appearance on last year's Gala for an example of her audience interaction.
Where can you find Demi?
At the Comedy Festival until April 22. Get tickets here: https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2018/shows/i-love-skeleton
On her podcasts Big Soft Titty, with Tom Walker, and We Are Not Doctors, with Bart Freebairn. She is also one of my favourite guests on other podcasts, such as Don't You Know Who I Am, and The Little Dum Dum Club.
Find her art on Etsy and Redbubble, follow the links on her website here: https://www.demilardner.com/
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
SEATING
If you are seeing a show with no reserved seats, make sure to get there early to ensure you get a good seat, otherwise you will inevitably get a giant sitting in front of you.
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.
You know how sometimes you have a dream that, unlike most of your dreams, is exciting and weird, and when you wake up you wish you could go back to sleep and fall back into that dream? Well, that's what Demi Lardner's show is like.
It is unpredictable, a bit weird, a bit crazy, and so much fucking fun. You literally have no idea what's going to happen next. Will Demi leave the room? Dance? Request something from the audience? Read a poem? We don't know, but we do know that whatever it is will make us laugh embarrassingly hard.
Amongst the madness lies a common understanding, with jokes about reality TV, and weird habits that all dads seem to possess. However, Demi takes this material and pushes it to the next level. Add to that a high energy performance and the excellent music and lights component, and you have one of my favourite shows this festival. It is easy to see why Demi has won so many comedy awards over the last few years.
Demi Lardner is the sum of all the weird parts of your brain that have escaped and come to life. Her show is all the strange, creative parts of you that exist when you are a child, but get repressed somewhere along the way. It is the bizarre thoughts that sneak into your head late at night as you are falling asleep, a cross between an improv exercise and a child's drawing. It is the perfect mix of jokes, physical comedy, music and surprise. I highly recommend checking it out.
*Note: there is a little bit of audience involvement in the show, but nothing embarrassing. The small room makes you feel like you are all there enjoying the experience together, and I don't think anyone was unfairly singled out. If that does worry you a little bit, I hope that doesn't put you off the show at all, because it really is fantastic. Check out the video of Demi's appearance on last year's Gala for an example of her audience interaction.
Where can you find Demi?
At the Comedy Festival until April 22. Get tickets here: https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2018/shows/i-love-skeleton
On her podcasts Big Soft Titty, with Tom Walker, and We Are Not Doctors, with Bart Freebairn. She is also one of my favourite guests on other podcasts, such as Don't You Know Who I Am, and The Little Dum Dum Club.
Find her art on Etsy and Redbubble, follow the links on her website here: https://www.demilardner.com/
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
SEATING
If you are seeing a show with no reserved seats, make sure to get there early to ensure you get a good seat, otherwise you will inevitably get a giant sitting in front of you.
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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