Cvnt review | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | Malthouse Theatre

How does one even begin to review a show like Cvnt? Sophie Power doesn’t just perform, she saunters onto the stage in a whirlwind of clowning, comedy, and unapologetic exploration of the word that makes many people squirm. This is an hour of raw, unfiltered energy, where cvnt is not just a word but a playground, a statement, and a challenge. Power revels in its many meanings, contradictions, and taboos, dragging the audience along for a ride that is as ridiculous as it is revealing.

You can't talk about Cvnt without mentioning the spectacular costume. Power emerges from a small black booth, draped in a dazzling explosion of pink and red, transforming herself into a human-sized vulva. Its cavernous depths invite exploration, complete with moans, groans, and the eager hands of audience members keen to get up close and personal.

Rising Damp review | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | The Westin

Nicolette Minster has worked her butt off to get to her 40s. And having recently turned 41, rather than feel like some sneaky mould is creeping into her life, she decides to mark the milestone by swimming 41km in 41 days. Rising Damp is a solid hour of stand up that celebrates ageing and how there are always ways to surprise yourself, even if it means getting knocked over by the occasional waves.

Water isn’t simply a motif in Minster's swimming challenge, but it runs through every part of the show. It’s in the writing, the visuals, and the sound design, shaping the reflective mood that is set and creating a noticeable sense of cohesion in the production. Minster wears a cartoon shark T-shirt emblazoned with the phrase “Stay Positive,” and her stage features three oversized and brightly coloured pieces of seaweed that serve as a representation to her outlook to life. Water sounds, such as rainfall, and ocean waves, are layered into the performance, adding an extra immersive element.

(The) Joshua Ladgrove (Show) review | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | The Victoria Hotel

I've been attending Joshua Ladgrove's shows for over ten years. Time really flies. His sense of humour, his characters, and his ability to connect and engage with an audience have been incredible to watch. In his new show, (The) Joshua Ladgrove (Show), Joshua must more or less save Christmas after a horrifying accident occurs at Carols by Candlelight.

With radio personality and baritone singer Denis Walter is incapacitated in hospital, Joshua is asked to step in to host his TV variety show on Christmas Eve. The opening is quite impressive, with Ladgrove seamlessly inserting himself into Carols by Candlelight via the magic of VFX. It’s an exciting start and a promising glimpse of what’s to come, or so I thought.

Teen School High: A Highschool Teen Story (21+) review | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | The Motley Bauhaus

Everyone remembers their first day of high school or starting at a new school. There’s always that sense of possibility - that this will be the year everything changes, the chance to go from ugly duckling to beautiful swan. But not everyone is that fortunate.

In Teen School High: A Highschool Teen Story (21+), Jake Glanc plays Jake, a father whose child is about to start high school. To calm his anxieties, we flash back to Jake as a 16-year-old and his own first day at a new school, and the emotions that come with it. Even if he is effeminate and slightly chunky, he’s determined not to be the butt of every joke this time round.

Glass Houses review | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | Storyville

It’s easy to assume prison is something that happens to other people. It's distant, detached, a world away from your own life. But what happens when that world collides with yours? In Glass Houses, Alice Tovey explores that very question with humour, heart, and a whole lot of flair.
 
Dressed in a green velour tracksuit emblazoned with the word DRAMATIC, Tovey appears on stage with a hard-edged, “don’t mess with me” attitude. Yet beneath that tough exterior lies a vulnerability that instantly wins you over. The show is deeply personal, centring on their parents, particularly her father, who was sent to jail for a white-collar crime.