Love Letter to Heephah review | Amelia Pawsey | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | Trainscendence

Amelia Pawsey has been living in a sharehouse with three others: her two housemates, and Heephah, a 60cm-tall taxidermy fox purchased from the Art Gallery of Ballarat. The fox has been watching - and not-so-quietly judging - Pawsey and her housemates for several years, so it was only natural that her debut solo cabaret would be dedicated to it in Love Letter to Heephah.

The structure is straightforward enough, with Pawsey discussing an event or situation in a sharehouse before performing a song. We get numbers about how cutlery should be organised in a drawer, and the realities of privacy in shared living, including “Hymn 69”. She uses a mix of live guitar and pre-recorded tracks, which allows the storytelling, physicality, and songs to move into spaces that would not be possible with guitar alone.

Huge Ass Mindset review | Frankie McNair | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | Victoria Hotel

With a beaming smile and wide eyes, Frankie McNair tells us she is a survivor of childhood sexual assault and sexual assault. She laughs as she calls herself a high achiever. In Huge Ass Mindset, McNair reframes resilience through an unflinchingly self-aware, fast-moving set that refuses to linger in victimhood. She leans into ambition, survival instincts, and the absurdity of how the world expects people to package trauma into something neat and palatable. There is bite in her delivery, but there is also a disarming openness that keeps the room with her, even as she pushes into darker territory.

Rather than using it as background context, McNair places this experience directly into the foundation of the work, challenging how sexual assault and trauma are spoken about, particularly in comedy. The hour builds as a series of escalating reflections, with ideas that recur and steadily gain weight as the set progresses.

The Performers review | Dolly Diamond & Skank Sinatra | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | Grouse

To save themselves from a very high and very overdue Edinburgh Fringe tax bill, cabaret producers Dolly Diamond and Skank Sinatra decide to stage a deliberate flop for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. But when word of mouth begins to spread and ticket sales start climbing, the two drag divas realise the show has taken on a life of its own, and they are no longer in control of its success.

The Performers features a vibrant mix of live vocals and lip-syncing, including Dolly’s riotous interpretation of Dolly Parton’s sombre "Me and Little Andy", driven as much by facial expression as performance. Skank’s medley of Kylie Minogue songs is slickly executed, as is her delightful theatrical rendition of the South African national anthem. It's a random group of songs, but it all works so well.

Dry Think, Therefore Dry Am review | Nick Schuller | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | Trades Hall

Nick Schuller would have to be the least excitable person performing at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. The stand-up comedian returns with Dry Thing, Therefore Dry Am, another set of dry, unhurried observations, delivered in a tone so measured it undercuts the absurdity of the material.



There’s no overarching theme here, just a running list of thoughts and views from Schuller. They feel like the kind of weird and random ideas you’d say with your mates at the pub, except these aren’t the kind of thoughts most people are having. That’s because Schuller’s brain seems to operate on its own unique frequency.

Welcome to Hell review | Andy Balloch | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | The Improv Conspiracy Theatre

In these trying times, with the world seemingly on the brink of World War III, it feels more important than ever to find stable employment to carry us through this period of uncertainty. In Andy Balloch’s Welcome To Hell, Chief Officer of Recruitment, Admissions and Retention Ramone leads an onboarding session for our new role working for Hell. Literal Hell.

As we take our seats and prepare to learn how we, as fresh recruits, can help bring Hell on Earth, we’re briefed on past “success stories”. We don our lanyards and are encouraged to speak in one unified voice. The seminar is, we’re told, sponsored by the Catholic Church, a line that neatly signals Balloch’s willingness to push boundaries.

Maitriarchy review | Maitreyi Karanth | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | Ballers Clubhouse

Maitreyi Karanth began her stand-up career in her 40s. Now the 53-year-old Indian comedian has made her Melbourne International Comedy Festival debut with her show Maitriarchy. Being a woman of colour in her 50s, she brought a perspective not usually seen on stage, as she draws humour from lived experience, delivered with a bluntness that is softened by an easy, conversational storytelling style.



Karanth shares stories and anecdotes from her life, with a focus on family and marriage, alongside a fair amount of discussion on sex, because, shock horror, women in their 50s still enjoy sex. An Indian woman speaking so openly and frankly is not a voice often heard in these spaces, offering a point of view that is candid and unapologetically direct. That is very much her strength. She touches on controversial topics too, but with a glint in her eye, she consistently makes them land.



B48Y Crash Lands On Earth! review | Lukas Meintjes | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | The Motley Bauhaus

An alien spaceship has crashed into the Peel nightclub in Collingwood, with B48Y left to navigate their new human environment. B48Y Crash Lands On Earth! is a physical comedy and clowning piece that throws itself into absurdity and audience interaction, as this alien creature explores who they are, what identity is, and how it is performed and shaped in different contexts.

I have previously seen Lukas Meintjes on stage, but this marks my first time seeing him in a full clown show, and wow, is the skill undeniable. This is a physically demanding role sustained with impressive precision. His work is not only athletic, but highly detailed, with shifts in posture and facial expression doing as much work as the more hectic play.