Hot Chicken Bags review | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | The Motley Wherehaus

In Hot Chicken Bags, Grace Hogan combines original songs, stand-up, and audience interaction in a cabaret-comedy set that is energetic and driven by her personality, moving between these elements with a relaxed, informal structure. The show leans into musical numbers, while shorter comedic anecdotes and audience exchanges help shape the rhythm of the performance, creating a varied mix that prioritises presence and tone over narrative.



There are some impressive moments in Hot Chicken Bags, particularly when Hogan taps into her strengths in music and performance. A song she wrote after breaking up with her girlfriend stands out, showcasing both her humour and vibrancy. This is further elevated when a music video for another track, “Hot Hot Chicken Bags”, plays, adding an extra layer of flair.

JKS: a Comedy(?) review | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | fortyfivedownstairs

In JKS: a Comedy(?), five comedians linger in a scrappy pub venue Green Room, killing time between sets by complaining about a tough crowd and taking cheap shots at each other. It’s loose, familiar territory, until the sudden death of a trailblazer in the Australian stand-up scene cracks something open. What begins as banter quickly spirals into a full-blown argument on the limits of comedy, the power of language, and who gets to decide what should, or shouldn’t, be a joke.
 
At the centre of this story are two opposing voices. Jase, a man of colour (Kevin Hofbauer), argues that nothing should be off-limits, that a joke on rape or paedophilia is not endorsing it. For him, comedy is about observation, not approval. On the other side is Alex, a gay, white man (Tom Ballard), who insists that comics have a responsibility to avoid punching down, and that intent does not cancel out impact.

Chookas review | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | The Motley Spielhaus

Three eggs appear on stage. Slowly but surely, they begin to hatch, and out pop three cabaret-loving chicks. It’s best not to dwell on it too much. What follows is an hour of more chicken-themed burlesque, comedy and songs than you can fry. Adore Handel, Mae B. Wilde and Penelope Splendour are our hatchlings, who take us on a wild, ecstatic ride full of energy, cheek, and playful absurdity with Chookas.



The trio are adept at capturing the specific mannerisms of chickens. They display inquisitiveness and a judgmental edge as they reach out to the audience, almost as a challenge or assertion of authority. The way they move and feed off each other and us strongly resembles observing chickens, albeit with clearly exaggerated physicality.

Dinner Hannah Show review | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | Malthouse Theatre

Hannah Camilleri’s new show Dinner Hannah Show takes the audience behind the scenes of a theatre production, giving us a front-row ticket to the chaos and craft of live performance. Through brilliant character work, she combines clowning, improvisation, sketch, and storytelling to create a world that is undeniably strange, but also consistently funny.

The loose plot centres on two key characters who embody this theatrical playground, where ego, art, and absurdity collide. Camilleri’s portrayal of them, along with a few other gems, is a knockout. She captures the essence of inflated egos and artistic ambition with precision, shifting seamlessly between roles. Veronika’s patronising grace and Fondant’s arrogance showcase her versatility across both performance and clowning.

Feral review | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | Bard's Apothecary

There are two important people in Jess Fuchs’ life, her psychologist and her psychic, and fortunately, both operate out of the same building. Convenient. While dealing with a recent health concern, their combined advice is simple, she needs to stress less. Easier said than done. Feral is the culmination of these events.

So she packs her bags and, with two friends, heads to exotic Ireland, specifically the Cliffs of Moher. This becomes the starting point for Fuchs to reflect on her experiences and thoughts around sex, body image, religion, mental health, and, somewhat unexpectedly, the Titanic, yes, the ship that sank in 1912.

Local Laws review | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | The Improv Conspiracy

When you work in customer service and the first thing someone says on the phone is, “I have a few things I’d like to talk to you about,” you know it’s never going to end well. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what Rose, a local council call centre operator in Local Laws, is up against, stuck in a repetitive cycle where the inane complaints are more punishing than the job itself. But when a random hole appears in the suburb, the calls turn from tedious to intriguing, pulling her into something stranger than the usual stream of grievances. Suddenly, another frustrating day on the phones for Rose becomes more interesting than she expects.



Phillips is completely in her element as both Linda, the pedantic, fussy, serial complainer and Trevor, a Council Team Leader overseeing road works and maintenance. She switches between them with a quick wig change and the shedding of a layer of clothing, but it is her sharply defined physicality and specific mannerisms that set them apart. Linda carries herself with a tight, brittle energy, every movement clipped and deliberate, whereas Trevor is looser and easygoing, with a casual ease that contrasts beautifully. 

Small Poppy review | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | Malthouse Theatre

Gabbi Bolt is heading back to her high school at the end of the year to accept an award recognising her as one of its most successful alumni. But rather than prompting a moment of joy and pride, the prospect sends her into a spiral of self-doubt, anxiety, and insecurity. And when the world seems to be on the brink of collapse, how is she supposed to keep any of this in perspective?

In Small Poppy, Bolt examines both the state of the world and her own desire for fame. While unpacking the history of "tall poppy syndrome", she lands on the Wikipedia page for Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, the seventh and final king of Rome, whose tyrannical rule led to his overthrow and the establishment of the Roman Republic in 509 BCE. He is also often associated with the origin of the phrase "tall poppy".