Where To Next?

Well, the 2019 Melbourne International Comedy Festival has come to a close. I saw so many amazing shows, some that I just didn't get time to review unfortunately, but I wanted to end with my review of the last show I saw, Mark Gambino's The Return of Grazie Fibonacci. This show takes you on an adventure, full of wonderful and eccentric characters, some of whom wouldn't be out of place in a David Sedaris short story. The scenes are interspersed with a witty recording of a radio show, removing any possible awkwardness from those in-between scene costume change moments, while continuing the laughs from the audience. From a commercial flight, to a Ted talk, to a game show, to the wonder that is Jurassic Park, you will be taken places you didn't expect to go. Always with a fascinating, hilarious character to guide you through. Don't be alarmed, but there is some audience participation. Nothing embarrassing though, it's just the audience assisting with the sh...

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is back! One of my favourite times of year. It's just cold enough to bring out the cute scarves and jackets, but not so cold that you refuse to leave the house. The streets are full of happy people, and Melbourne seems a little bit more shiny, reminding us why we love it here. If you haven't seen Dilruk for awhile, you may be surprised when you see him, for he has lost a fair bit of weight. If you have never seen him before, well, he used to be bigger. How he made the decision to lose weight, how he did it, and the struggle of keeping it off, is the basis of this year's show. Cheat Day(s) is an honest account of weight loss. Not just the exercise and the eating, but the emotional journey that Dil has gone on, digging deep to discover why it is he put on weight in the first place. I think this is a really important show, for a few reasons. I think it's rare for people to discuss weight loss in a way that isn't prea...

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is back! One of my favourite times of year. It's just cold enough to bring out the cute scarves and jackets, but not so cold that you refuse to leave the house. The streets are full of happy people, and Melbourne seems a little bit more shiny, reminding us why we love it here. If, like me, you haven't seen Josh Earl's stand up before, apparently there is usually singing, a guitar, and a screen, which sounds really fun. This year, Josh has chosen a more pared back version, just him, a microphone, and some of his funniest stories from his life. It's classic stand-up storytelling at its best, a hilarious journey through Josh's life, from his early childhood growing up in Tasmania, to awkward sexual encounters in his teen years. I'm hoping that next year will be a sequel, where Josh will explore his life post-high school and his first foray into stand-up comedy. I would also be really keen to see some of his more ...

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is back! One of my favourite times of year. It's just cold enough to bring out the cute scarves and jackets, but not so cold that you refuse to leave the house. The streets are full of happy people, and Melbourne seems a little bit more shiny, reminding us why we love it here. Unfortunately The Big HOO-HAA! is only on for a limited run this Comedy Festival, with just three shows, each featuring a different genre (horror, musical, sexy). But don't despair! If you can't make it to next Monday's show (the sexy one!), we are lucky enough here in Melbourne to be able to see them perform every Friday night (from April 26 onwards) at The Butterfly Club. However, make sure you get tickets in advance, because they do sell out! I went along to the musical-themed night, which I was very excited about because I love a musical. It was also very fitting for my week, which has already seen me cry at the series finale of Crazy E...

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is back! One of my favourite times of year. It's just cold enough to bring out the cute scarves and jackets, but not so cold that you refuse to leave the house. The streets are full of happy people, and Melbourne seems a little bit more shiny, reminding us why we love it here. Demi Lardner has fast become one of my favourite comedians. I first saw her on the Gala in 2017 and was like, this is weird and I love it, I need to see more. I went to her show at the Festival last year and instantly decided that she is on my list for comedians I have to see every year. Usually you head into a show not knowing what the comedian will talk about, but with Demi you go in not knowing what the hell is going to happen. Is Demi going to come out on stage, or will it be one of her bizarre and hilarious characters? Will there be costumes? Will she sing? Will there be random video segments? Expect the unexpected. Anything could happen, and th...

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is back! One of my favourite times of year. It's just cold enough to bring out the cute scarves and jackets, but not so cold that you refuse to leave the house. The streets are full of happy people, and Melbourne seems a little bit more shiny, reminding us why we love it here. You know when you get a message from a friend, saying 'OMG guess who I just saw?', or 'SO...' and you're like: Well, that's what Joel Creasey's show is like. It feels like a big gossip sesh with your pals, and I am Here. For. It. Joel is practically everywhere, you may have seen him hosting the Mardi Gras, the Royal Wedding, Eurovision, a couple of reality TV shows, being a contestant on I'm a Celebrity....Get Me Out of Here! and as a guest of a number of other shows. However if you haven't seen his stand up, you are missing out.  It's such a fun show, from the video montage at the start, to Joel's...

Ah, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, one of my favourite times of year. Where the temperature has dropped enough to bring out the jeans and scarves (ok, well, not this year, hello climate change!), the streets are full of happy people, and Melbourne seems a little bit more shiny. For my first show of the season, I went to see Rhys Nicholson. I hadn't seen him live before, but had seen him on TV (by which I mean mostly YouTube), and was really looking forward to it. The show did not disappoint. As someone who is also 30ish and does not feel like a grown up, I found it very relatable. This is not however necessary to enjoy Rhys' comedy, as everybody can relate to the weird shit that parents do, the absolutely bewildering actions of strangers, and the utter state of despair that baby boomers have left the world in for us (ok, maybe not everyone? Sorry parents). My favourite thing about Rhys is his quick-witted, fast-talking manner. Just when his last punchline ...

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). First up, Matt Okine! Matt Okine, comedian, TV star, radio host, etc etc etc Matt Okine is having an amazing year. Professionally I mean, he may be having a shit time personally, who knows. Seriously though, he seems to be killing it at life. You may know Matt as one half of former Triple J breakfast duo Matt and Alex, which graced our airwaves until 2016. You may know him for his music career, his cooking show on the ABC, his stand-up, or his TV show The Other Guy (which he both wrote and starred in). He even hosted this year's Melbourne International Comedy Festival Gala. I know, right? He's one of those annoying people that seems to be good at everything t...