Handful of Bugs is turning late-night radio into a playground of chaos | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | Malthouse Theatre

Handful of Bugs are back with their latest creation, Hello Mr. Radio!, a wild dive into late-night radio mayhem and surreal comedy. At the centre of it is Fergus Mackerel, an outlandish host whose bizarre 3am broadcasts turn sound into spectacle and audience into co-conspirator. We spoke with Alex Donnelly, one third of Handful of Bugs, about bringing Fergus to life, pushing the boundaries of form and narrative, and why unpredictability has become the company’s calling card.

The idea for Hello Mr. Radio! didn’t come from anywhere obvious - it came from a sudden spark in the middle of chaos and artistic panic. "We were scouring the vast corners of our collective minds one evening. We were lost. We were afraid. We knew that jesters, big feet, monster trucks and assassins were funny. There couldn’t possibly be a fifth funny thing. And then it hit us," Donnelly tells me. "We were LOOKING in the wrong places, we needed to be HEARING in the right place! The radio. A medium dominated by ears alone for far too long, what if we let the peepers in on the fun? Thusly, Hello
Mr. Radio! was born. Then swiftly put in a drawer so we could finish our fringe season."

"We wanted to find a yummy vehicle for a less linear kind of show, with lots of room to play. Radio is  inherently a variety act. We’re lugging all our varietals to this show. Sound has been a huge tool for our comedic storytelling, so naturally Hello Mr. Radio! is the next summit we climb for our love for audio gags."

This marks a departure from their last production, Jester's Privilege, but Handful of Bugs has consistently made shifting tone and form a hallmark of their work, always offering something fresh and unexpected. "We started this company to push our imaginations in as many ways as physically possible. The fantabulous thing about working with your best and funniest friends, is that you can do whatever you want. That’s freakin cool. That freedom is exciting. We want to take it and run with it. Explore all the ideas and forms that make us giggle, and we never want to become predictable," Donnelly explains.

"We also have the exact same attention span as our audience. We get bored easily, so we’re constantly searching for new and fun concepts to play with. This will be almost a direct flip of our most recent show. Jester’s Privilege was a typical narrative, with a very clearly defined fourth wall. Hello Mr Radio! leans more into sketch and we’ve already asked the Malthouse Theatre to demolish that pesky fourth wall so you guys can actually talk to Fergus. Like for real this time. That’s gonna be part of it!"

Fergus comes across as wildly eccentric, unmistakably marching to the beat of his own drum, and the opportunity to portray him and step inside his head has been a treat for Donnelly. "A beautiful through line for our body of work is our affection for the passionate weirdos of the world. And Mackerel is the king of the weirdos. We love people who love what they do. Agent 69 loves being a hitman, Robert H. McKinley loves Bigfoot, The Jester loves jesting. Jestering? What’s the verb for for jester?" he asks. "Fergus is deeply devoted to his job, and the listeners worship him. He’s a jack of all trades and a master of the rest. He’s been bestowed the gift of people’s attention, and you bet your sweet ass he ain't gonna waste a second of it!"

Donnell has some parting advice for theatre-goers eager to hear a radio host pontificate into the void: “Listen closely and keep your phone charged. And while the ponytail-and-goatee look might be a bit off-putting at first, Fergus is truly quite charming.”

MICF QUICKFIRE FIVE

1. The most memorable audience reaction I've ever received is Wooo!!! Yeah!! Aww yeahh!!! Awesome!! Hahahaha!!!
2. A totally absurd award I’d win if it existed is the Dr Pepper Lifetime Achievement Award.
3. The worst thing I have ever eaten is when I took a chance on an egg that had been sitting on the bench a little too long. I cracked it into the pan and it was green and black. It started bubbling like radioactive goo. I dry heaved so much I cried. It was months until I could look at a chicken, let alone its egg. I didn’t technically eat it, but if I had, I may not have lived to tell the tale.
4. One backstage ritual that makes me feel ready to get on stage is maracas.
5. If I could swap places with another performer for a day, it would be Sabrina Carpenter because I want to meet Miss Piggy. Oh wait, Miss Piggy I can choose Miss Piggy!!

SHOW DETAILS

Venue: Malthouse Theatre, 113 Sturt St, Southbank
Season: 7 - 19 April | Tues - Sat 6.15pm, Sun 5.15pm
Duration: 55 minutes
Tickets: $32 Full | $29 Conc
Bookings: Melbourne International Comedy Festival