Going to the movies during the Melbourne International Comedy Festival can almost be considered sacrilege but Impro Melbourne have found a way to let the people have their cake and eat it too with At The Movies. Completely made up on the spot, the show is created from the first five minutes of a B-grade movie that no one in the cast has seen until that moment.
Our "director" Sarah Kinsella provides us with the synopsis of two movies in which to choose from and based on an audience vote, the favourite is picked and we watch the opening scenes. In this instance, it is the 1985 film Desert Hearts, in which a New York professor divorces her husband and has
an affair with another woman in Reno, 1959.
Last year, Garry Starr told us all what an amazing actor he is in Garry Starr Performs Everything. This year, he returns to tell us how to be an amazing actor just like him. In Garry Starr Conquers Troy, Garry takes us through his new book, step by step and chapter by chapter with hints and tips on how to break into Hollywood and have every agent and director banging on our door.
Garry (performed by Damien Warren-Smith) has lost some of his arrogance this time round, but not of all it. He is still deluded about his triple threat performance skills but he is earnest in his effort to help his fellow actors out. We are provided with lessons on a range of topics, including how to audition for a director when we are work without them even realising what is happening, and there's also a spot on how to absorb our lines from a script and never have to worry about forgetting them.
Despite the fact that zombies are no longer limited to the horror genre, you could be surprised to learn of a zombie circus show being performed in the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, but that's exactly what Head First Acrobats have created. Elixir sees three scientists who inadvertently bring forth a zombie apocalypse while trying to create an elixir of life.
The scientists - Callan
Harris, Harley Timmerman and AJ Saltamacchia (replacing Thomas Gorham
just weeks before opening after an injury) - ingest their body enhancing potions and go through various tests that push the capabilities of the human form. Fortunately the three are highly talented circus artists, so the results are quite awe-inspiring. Harris' free-standing ladder routine is a highlight, full of hold-your-breath intensity as he scales the ladder to perform precarious acrobatics and balancing acts. Timmerman's use of the cyr wheel showcases the great control and skill he possesses, using the momentum of the wheel to spin around as he grips it with his hands and feet.
Barnie Juancan is running late for his open mic comedy night again. He is nervous but once he's done his mic check he's ready to go. Meanwhile, a tap head called Tap Head is also working on its stand-up comedy and sharing its philosophies on life. With his Melbourne International Comedy Festival show Tap Head, comedian and mime artist, Barnie Duncan, presents two stories of two different beings who probably have more in common than they think.
Watching these two beings come to life by Duncan is an extremely rewarding experience and has the audience become heavily invested in their lives. They may appear to be very separate stories - only linked by their stand-up aspirations - but Duncan slowly, and then unexpectedly links, the two together and suddenly everything that has been said seems to click into place. It's always a delight when a performer has such a deep understanding of storytelling that they can surprise the audience with what transpires who are then able to look back at all that has happened and see how the pieces fit together.
I have a confession to make: I have only been to two theme parks in my entire life and one of those has been Luna Park. So I was filled with much excitement as I entered Game Boys Cinematic Universe, a comedic pastiche to theme parks of the 90s, particularly those with a focus on film and the cinematic experience, such as Movie World. We are welcomed by our hosts, brothers Eden and Josh Porter (Game Boys) and before we know it, we are strapped in for our Backlot Tour of Game Boys Studios.
Game Boys Cinematic Universe is highly interactive with
audience participation but the Game Boys duo are so extremely charming and
friendly that you end up wanting to participate. The attention to detail in what a theme park should look and feel like and the dedication the two have in their characters allows the audience to be swept away by the entire adventure. Inspired use
of AV technology ensures the exaggerated scenarios they take us through, including the sound studios where Hans Zimmer is hard at work, strengthen the world that is being presented to us.
