Just Jolks review (Melbourne International Comedy Festival)

I've been reviewing Barnie Duncan's shows in Melbourne since 2017. They have focused on physical theatre and comedy, both on his own or sharing the stage with other performers like Dani Cabs or Trygve Wakenshaw. These have always had Duncan playing a character or telling a story. But not anymore. For his new show Just Jolks, Duncan has removed all gimmicks and distractions and attempts to tell us jokes, the whole jokes and nothing but the jokes. He is a real comedian now.

Having evolved from physical comedy, Duncan needs to ensure we are aware of the advanced rules and conventions of joke telling. We go through what crowd work means and if he's going to do it or not, the mechanics of observational humour and even the apparatus required for this fresh form of comedy. Such is his skill in comedy that even with his matter-of-fact facial expressions and earnest tone, it's impossible to resist laughing at everything he says, particularly with his loose fitting colourful shirt, white singlet and red cap (and everyone knows real comedians wear black).

Chipper - Melbourne International Comedy Festival review

Whenever Kirsty Webeck begins to tell you a story you're never quite sure how it's going to turn out, but one thing is certain: it's going to get weird. Not weird in the freak out way but weird in the "it could only happy to Kirsty" weird. It's like she - and anything or anyone that comes in contact with her - is destined to have these random encounters that are then shared with strangers every night. Her new Melbourne International Comedy Festival show Chipper, is no exception.

Webeck has been in a relationship for two years now and while this show is not about relationships, many of the stories stem from being in one. What do you do when your partner is from New Zealand and uses the New Zealand word to describe an item of footwear? How drastically does life change when you move from the cool North side of Melbourne to the dreaded South? And where should you stay when your partner's family come to visit? Through hilarious personal experiences, Webeck answers all these questions with her unique perspective on life and precision comedy timing.

Seminal - Melbourne International Comedy Festival review

Rhys Nicholson want to take control over his life. In his new stand-up show, Seminal, Nicholson goes through events and situations that have - in some way or another - shaped who he is, while also looking at how to lead the life he wants. With Nicholson's trademark acerbic wit and ability to speak at a million miles an hour, Seminal is an engaging and captivating piece of stand-up with plenty to say.

While he's confident on stage as Rhys Nicholson the comedian, Nicholson allows the audience to see the anxious person behind the comedian so that we can better understand where he is coming from. His delivery is crisp and is constantly on the ball, and despite referring to his off-the-cuff remarks as the worst improvising ever, the reaction by the audience in the room would have you believe otherwise.

Worth It review | DeAnne Smith | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | Greek Centre

If you go to Worth It expecting "a post-industrial, consumer-based, sustainable comedy show for the new economy", you are going to be sorely disappointed. Canadian comedian DeAnne Smith informs us at the very beginning of her show that she won't be talking about this and instead looks at other equally fun conversation topics like phobias, depression and death. Yay!

Fortunately, Smith has a plethora of incredulous experiences to share that fill the room with laughter. Ranging from first date disasters (that I still find difficult to believe), responses to when animals attack and to parents who have passed away, her casual approach in telling such stories is a winning combination.

Now - Melbourne International Comedy Festival review

Scottish comedian Daniel Sloss claims his 2017 Melbourne International Comedy Festival show So? was responsible for breaking up relationships left right and centre. This year, he returns to Melbourne with his new show Now, where instead of dissecting audiences' relationships, he has turned his attention inwards in an attempt to determine whether he is a sociopath and if he is, is it such a terrible thing? 

Sloss has a knack of raising contentious issues but remaining in control of the conversation and not getting carried away by the 'thrill' or the risk of what he is talking about. There is a purpose to everything he raises; it is not being said simply to shock, but to entertain and to inform us.

Worth It - Melbourne International Comedy Festival preview

One of Canada's finest comics is returning to Melbourne for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. After wowing audiences last year with Post-Joke Era, DeAnne Smith's new show Worth It, will be "a post-industrial, consumer-based, sustainable comedy show for the new economy", or will it?

"Expect the unexpected! I wrote that description long before I had actually written the show, which is usually how these things go," Smith tells me. "Turns out, this show centres on the time I was trapped in a room with an angry pitbull outside the door. (That may or may not be a metaphor for anxiety, and is also completely true.) With me, you can always expect tons of laughs, spontaneity, silliness, and - I have to say it - damn good jokes."

Seminal - Melbourne International Comedy Festival preview

Already a seasoned regular at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Rhys Nicholson returns to the festival with new show, Seminal. While we can safely assume the show will be full of Nicholson's trademark wit and observations of the world around him, his show description gives nothing on the content or theme, simply requesting that you "please come to my show".

The word seminal however has two meanings that could indicate what path Nicholson's show will take. Seminal means "strongly influencing later developments" and also "relating to or denoting semen" - two very different paths. "Look let’s be honest, if you’re aware of my work, I think you know which one it is," Nicholson tells me. "I never know what to say to 'what can we expect?' Expect me to be on stage. Expect about 56 minutes of jokes. Don’t expect live animals. All the animals in the show are dead."

Show Pony | Nath Valvo | Melbourne International Comedy Festival interview

The ball of energy that is Nath Valvo is back for another new show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Show Pony will be a deep dive into the mysteries of the universe and asking highly thought provoking questions like should Nath donate sperm and how exactly do you pronounce acai berries. However, don't despair as Valvo assures me this will all be done with his usual razor sharp humour and unique observations about the world.

"As my other shows, this will just be me banging on about as many things as I possibly can in 55 minutes. I get bored with the one topic for too long and I just assume my audience is the same," Valvo says. "I have a pretty big story to tell this year but the less people know about that the better. OMG hashtag no spoilers, guys!!"

Doctor in the House review - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Ahmed Kazmi is a doctor: a real life doctor. He also happens to be a comedian who can sing and dance and in his enjoyable Melbourne International Comedy Festival Show, Doctor in the House, Kazmi explores the high and lows of the medical profession while informing the audience of some dos and don'ts when visiting their GP.

The softly spoken doctor recalls his fondness for looking after older patients and the experiences he's had with them, which has involved him hosting and performing in a Christmas carolling evening at a retirement village. He also lists the various types of patients he sees at his clinic, like the 'one-liner' responders and the 'patient-by-proxy', as well as some of the more unique people he's received, which elicits many laughs from the audience. Dr. Kazmi is quick to inform us that no real names or specific details are being used, so if you’ve ever seen the doctor, your anonymity is secure.

Is That A Burrito In Your Pocket Or Are You Just Happy You Have A Burrito by Lauren Bok | Melbourne Fringe Festival interview

To some, life may have been a box of chocolate, but for Melbourne comedian, Lauren Bok, life is like a burrito. "We’re born, we are shoveled into a channel of carbohydrate, and the weight of life's commitments are thrown on top of us. The Cheese of Career. The Tomato Salsa of Broken Dreams. The Guacamole of Expectations. The Sour Cream of Regret," she says.

Which leads us to her festival show, aptly titled Is That A Burrito In Your Pocket Or Are You Just Happy You Have A Burrito. This is Bok's solo debut show for the festival desperate beings a seasoned stand-up and comedy performer for a number of years. "I finished doing the sketch show Wander Women for the Melbourne Comedy Festival, and while I had an amazing experience collaborating and being a sketch performer, I missed stand up. Melbourne Fringe registrations opened up the week after and it felt like the right time to just go out and do my own thing, my own way. I felt sick with nerves doing it, but I registered quickly without telling anyone, then it was done, so I had to just go through with it!" She explains. "It feels different then other festivals as it's just me, without any other influences. That makes everything a lot quieter on the outside, but a lot louder in my head."

About Sex review | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | Elephant & Wheelbarrow

Let's talk about sex baby. If you like my body and you think I'm sexy. Let me play with your body make you real hot. Despite these three sentences being lyrics to three very well known songs about sex, they also encapsulate Katerina Vrana's show, aptly titled About Sex.

Born in Greece but having lived almost two decades in England, Vrana's has a wealth of stories and anecdotes to share of these two cultures and their dealings with sex. Her impersonations of her family members, including her mother and father, are brilliant but it is when she talks about her 17-year-old brother asking her for sex advice that things really get cracking. One simple question from him is all it takes for the audience to be simultaneously shocked and howling in laughter.