Evil Dead the Musical review | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | Chapel Off Chapel

You just can't keep a good Deadite down. It's been 45 years since The Evil Dead was unleashed on cinema goers. In that time, we've had sequels, reboots and reimaginings, including a musical that was first staged in 2003. And now this cult classic has made its way to Australia, and what a ride it is. With Book and Lyrics by George Reinblatt, Evil Dead the Musical leans all the way into the madness, chainsaw in hand, splattering its way through the source material with a knowing wink, buckets of blood (literally), and enough self-awareness to make the whole thing horrifically brilliant.

Five college students: the hero, his best-friend, his girlfriend, his sister and ... Shelly, decide to spend the week in an abandoned cabin in the woods with no one knowing where they are. What could go wrong, they knowingly ask. Apart from freeing a demonic force after reciting a few ill-advised incantations, and *spoiler* watching your friends lose their souls and having to brutally kill them.

Best House Party Ever review | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | The Motley Wherehaus

In 2008, Melbourne ended up in the global spotlight when 16-year-old Corey Worthington threw a house party that got wildly out of hand. His parents were away, and after posting an open invite on MySpace, over 500 people showed up to his suburban home. Total madness.
 
Now, he might want to keep an eye out, because two Nunawading locals are ready to make him old(er) news. In Best House Party Ever, best mates Big Mike and DJ JayJay, somewhere in their 30s and 40s, see an empty house as an opportunity. The moment DJ JayJay’s mum heads out, it’s game on. There’s booming music, questionable life choices, and the kind of party energy that escalates rapidly.

Lobster in a Glass review | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | The Motley Wherehaus

Every now and again, life decides to absolutely wreck your plans, your ambitions, and your carefully curated sense of self. In Lobster in a Glass, Jenna Suffern dives headfirst into those moments, drawing comedy from the chaos when things go slightly or spectacularly wrong. Across the hour, she revisits a series of derailments, shaping them into sharp, engaging anecdotes.



From a career-ending sports injury in school to realising she was gay and later non-binary, Suffern’s life has been stopped in its tracks more than once, requiring several realignments along the way. Through it all, she mines these disruptions for humour, turning detours into stories that are recognisable and somewhat absurd.

Articulate review | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | The Motley Wherehaus

There’s nothing like a board game to bring out the best - or worst - in people. In Articulate, two share houses come together for their annual tradition: a fierce game night where the stakes are simple but brutal. The losing team must display a photo of the winners on their fridge - a daily reminder of their defeat and inability to guess even the simplest words.

In one corner we have the reigning champions: Tilly, Nadia and Jules: confident, composed, and fully expecting to take out the title once again. On the other are Lilo, Ben and Rommy, who are more than prepared. Warmed up and ready, they’re determined to prove they have what it takes to claim victory this year. The way each household is seen preparing for the evening is well directed and executed by the cast. 

Mrs Lovett’s Famous Meat Pies Grand Reopening Extravaganza review | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | The Motley Spielhaus

Having survived being thrown into an oven, along with a few other mishaps across the decades (and centuries), Mrs Lovett is back and ready for her grand reopening. Her ethically sourced human meat pie shop has set up in the heart of Melbourne at Queen Victoria Market, and this is no quiet return. With a handful of celebrity friends, including Jamie Oliver, lending a hand, Mrs Lovett invites her audience into a live pie-making demonstration that quickly spirals into something far more chaotic. And it all begins with a tuba. Yes, really.

Created and performed by Elliot Wood, Mrs Lovett’s Famous Meat Pies Grand Reopening Extravaganza is an unhinged, wild ride comedy that wastes no time finding its rhythm. When a performer starts at an energy level of 11 and somehow escalates to 15, with the audience happily swept up in this madness, you know you are in good hands.

Gossip review | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | The Motley Bauhaus

Don’t tell anyone I told you, but … it’s a phrase many of us have uttered - or at least been told. That tantalising morsel of someone else’s business that gives us a strange, guilty pleasure. But why? In Gossip, Abigail Banister-Jones sets out to investigate whether gossip makes us a better person, and why it feels so good.

Banister-Jones brings a great energy to the stage, with playful banter that draws the audience in. She bounces off a wide range of sources like the Bible, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Gossip Girl, creating a mix of perspectives and cultural touchstones that keeps the exploration lively and relatable.

The Ex Files: A Comedy True Crime Tour review | Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Hell hath no fury like a gay man scorned. What starts with sweet dates and musical theatre singalongs descends into something far more sinister. In The Ex Files: A Comedy True Crime Tour, Matt Bell blurs the line between true crime and total fabrication in his 'investigation', guiding audiences around the Melbourne CBD to uncover the evidence behind a crime that may or may not exist.

With each audience member armed with a pair of Bluetooth headphones, Bell guides us through a series of locations tied to the relationship at the centre of the story. We move from the bar where the first date occurred, to a cinema shaped by a wicked lie, to a restaurant that ends in heartbreak on the most romantic night of the year. Bell has clearly put thought into the structure, and standing at each location as he reminisces, makes the experience immersive, like we're re-living it ourselves.