Dysfunctional Family Jukebox review (Melbourne International Comedy Festival)

You know you’re having the quintessential Melbourne Comedy Festival experience when the performer has to scrounge for extra seats for a sold-out crowd, the tech fails, and while she’s troubleshooting it live, she has to keep the audience entertained with off-the-cuff banter. But as Freddie Arthur points out, this could actually be part of Dysfunctional Family Jukebox. It’s not - obviously - but we roll with it, because it’s fun to watch. A little bit of schadenfreude? Sure. But it’s a comedy festival, you’ve got to find the funny where you can.
 
Arthur has plenty of it in her hour-long set as she explores the skeletons in her family's closet through a tragicomic lens. With highly descriptive language, she introduces us to her homophobic mother, abusive father and a cousin who has a penchant for public masturbation. Not exactly go-to material for stand-up, but Arthur displays brilliant skill in finding the humour in the bleak without downplaying the darkness, and most importantly, it gives her audience permission to laugh. She finds a great pace, with considered pauses that give heavier moments the space they deserve without leaving their weight on the audience.

The routine is broken up with two musical numbers, in which Arthur has two quick costume changes to transform into her parents and serenades us with songs like 'Smacking My Kids' and 'I Know I’m A Good Mother Because My Children Aren’t Gay'. Images and visual aids are projected on a screen (which could be raised ever slightly for the people in the back) that pull us deeper into the wild family she grew up with.
 
It's clear Arthur's had a tough upbringing, but she assures us she's fine now, and to prove she's not lying to us, she plays a pre-recorded video of various friends who confirm this. But there's also raw vulnerability here, especially when she reflects on the suffocating experience of growing up in a home where she could not be herself, and the necessary decision to cut ties with her family, including her siblings.
 
Walking out of Dysfunctional Family Jukebox is a strange sensation. Given the subject matter, you would expect to feel heavy but instead you feel lighter. It's testament to Arthur's talent in being able to turn her trauma and mental illnesses into something we can laugh about without having to book a therapy session of our own. Having started her comedy career in 2022, Arthur is definitely one of the most exciting new voices I've come across for a long time.

Show Details

Venue: Wheat, Wine & Whisky, 284 Smith St, Collingwood
Season: until 20 April | 7.15pm
Duration: 55 minutes
Tickets: $25 Full | $20 Concession
Bookings: Melbourne International Comedy Festival