Friday 31 March 2023

Greece Lightning review (Melbourne International Comedy Festival)

Garry Starr's Greece Lightning has been doing the rounds for some time and it's a show that has been on my radar, but I’ve never been able to make its seasons. Last night, I finally did, and boy oh boy, do I regret having waited so long, because Greece Lightning is a comedy masterpiece.

This is Damien Warren-Smith’s third outing as the dim but absolutely delightful Garry Starr, (Garry Starr Performs Everything and Garry Starr Conquers Troy), and he is bigger and better than ever before as Garry attempts to perform all of Greek mythology to save his homeland from economic ruin.

We end up with a variety of acts, each one taking a Greek God or story from Greek mythology and quickly giving us Garry’s interpretation of it. So we get the Battle of Troy sung to the theme of Mr. Ed, and another well-known sitcom opening number to tell the story of one God’s sticky situation with his mother. Not all the sketches are musical, with inspired portrayals and explorations of Narcissus, Icarus and Medusa hitting the right notes.

Warren-Smith displays an amazing skill for wordplay and one liners, as Garry stumbles through his reasoning for doing this show and constantly mispronouncing his words. The set pieces and props complement Garry’s personality by being quite basic and simple but highlight Warren-Smith’s incredible creativity and attention to detail.

The show relies heavily on audience participation and while it can be a little daunting with Greece Lightning, Warren-Smith creates such a safe and welcoming environment that the audience get right behind him and are more than happy to be part of this hilarious evening.

Every joke lands in Greece Lightning and if you like your comedy to be utterly ridiculous and absurd, then this is the show for you. It’s only day two of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival but this is definitely going to one of the fest’s best. Garry Starr is definitely one very very clever sausage.

SHOW DETAILS

Venue:
Comedy Republic, 231 Bourke Street, Melbourne
Season:
until 23 April | Tues - Sat 9:50pm, Sun 8:50pm
Duration:
60 minutes
Tickets:
$29-32 Full | $26 Concession | $25 Tightarse Tuesday
Bookings: Comedy Republic
and Melbourne International Comedy Festival

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