Max Atwood has been a primary school teacher for five years and is living, breathing proof that while you can take the teacher out of the classroom, you can't take the classroom out of the teacher. So, before we begin today's lesson with his comedy show That'll Teach Me, Atwood advises us what our learning objectives are and how we will achieve those.
While Atwood shares anecdotes from his career (life?) as a teacher, the focus with this show rests with an incident between a student at a summer camp. When Atwood unintentionally offended a student by calling him a certain word, he allows the student the rare opportunity to call his teacher any name he wants - just once - without any form of punishment or consequence. It's a child's dream come true to tell their teacher he's a dickhead or an asswipe and not get a detention.
Neil Triffett loves misery and misery loves company so it's only natural that Triffett would choose to make a comedy show about it, after all, he did write and direct a feature film called Emo the Musical. Armed with a piano, ukulele and his memories, Triffett talks and sings his way through Misery while highlighting how sadness and anxiety can impact your outlook on life.
Triffett's wry sense of humour is evident from the beginning as he discusses being a 12-year-old boy in Port Arthur coming to terms with his sexuality, while also trying not to minimise anyone else's just-as-valid circumstances. His catchy musical numbers display Triffett's ability to express complex emotions through common situations and stories. They provide an insight into his mind where traditional storytelling would perhaps struggle to be as successful.
Poopie Tum Tums is the show that Honor Wolff and Patrick Durnan
Silva have been aching to finally flex their acting muscles with. Despite their previous shows, they are more than just "hilarious comedians"; they are actors. In this hour of avant-garde theatre the two stars dazzle with some powerfully gut wrenching scenes that -nah, screw that. Whatever Wolff and Silva may claim they are achieving in Poopie Tum Tums, that's not what you experience with The Very Good Looking Initiative. If you think you'd seen it all with CULL and Let's Get Practical! Live then strap yourself in, because these wacky oddballs are on fire again and ready to unleash their twisted and shameless sense of humour on their audience.
A blue light disco is the highlight of any teenager's life. It's an opportunity to cut loose, enjoy some dancing, banter with friends and partake in the odd bit of fingering. Or maybe not, as one of the rules of the dance within The 2007 Wonthaggi Blue Light Disco is no fingering. And also no drinking. But most importantly, no fingering.
Through a number of sketches, The Dizzy Biz (Alex Cooper, Kayla Hamill and Jordan Barr) bring the residents of this small town to life and shine a spotlight on what it's like to be a teenager in 2007. The show opens with the strict no-nonsense organisers setting up for the disco and it sets the scene for what to expect from these odd characters. The focus of the show is on a romance between two students, Frenchie and Jason, who each come with their own set of dramas.
With excessive amounts of parachute clothing, big hair and neon colours,
it's definitely a trip down memory lane for many attending Circus Oz's
Melbourne International Comedy Festival show, NEON. In its fast-paced
hour, NEON treats its audiences to some rad circus tricks, wicked tunes
and vocals and totally cool dance moves.
The bitchin' soundtrack includes hits like Frankie Goes to Hollywood's
"Relax", Prince's "Purple Rain" and the Ghostbusters theme
song. These songs are incorporated into acts where movements and tricks are
brilliantly timed to peak when the chorus kicks in or a memorable part of the
song begins. Despite being upside down during Phil Collins' "In The Air
Tonight", Ian Richardson's handstand canes act leads to some very fancy
footwork and Poppy Fairbairn and Zion Martin's Risley (foot juggling) act is
taken to the next level when accompanied by Bonnie Tyler's "I Need A
Hero". Apart from being gifted circus performers, Lisa Lottie, Richard
Sullivan, Fairbairn, Martin and Richardson take on individual personas /
stereotypes of the 80s that they are clearly having a lot of fun with and
keep them going throughout the night. Lottie’s “bad girl” image is particularly
entertaining to see unfold during her ongoing contortionist act.
