Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2016

BEAT’S MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL 2016 GUIDE BROUGHT TO YOU BY COOPERS

PAGE 9

Anne Edmonds

TRIPOD

That’s Eddotainment

101 Hits

After bursting onto the scene in 2010 as a national finalist in Raw Comedy, Anne Edmonds has quickly become a favourite in the Australian comedy community. Over the last six years she has presented a string of different shows at comedy festivals around the country and appeared on Australian screens on shows such as It’s A Date and Back Seat Drivers. Her place within the comedy community was well and truly cemented last year when she was awarded MICF’s coveted Piece of Wood Award, as voted by her comedic peers.

“I’ve always presented my best hour of stuff,” notes Edmonds, “but it’s just a lovely thing that happened to me last year. Hopefully it will help more people discover me again this year. It’s given me a lot of confidence, that award, knowing the other comics think I’m doing a good job, so that helps.”

As a past winner, Edmonds will now join the judging panel for this year’s award. For anyone looking to impress, Edmonds has this advice.

“I think a lot of comedy is about being yourself on stage – 100 per cent. When people are genuinely expressing their ideas for the sake of comedy, rather than for the sake of getting famous or pleasing the mainstream, pushing the boundaries a bit and challenging the way people think – is often what makes a good show.”

Edmonds is known for the quirky characters she presents on stage, and her ability to tell their tales intertwined her own – all while plucking away on a banjo.

“I remember I got a one-star review in Adelaide once, and the guy said ‘Not only can Anne Edmonds not do comedy, but she also can’t sing’. That was always my fallback plan, to sing, so that was a bit of a double blow. It put me in bed for a couple of days,” laughs Edmonds.

After her award-winning run at the Festival last year, Edmonds returns to MICF this year with That’s Eddotainment.

“It’s my brand new hour of stand-up,” explains Edmonds.

“There’s a bit of stuff in there about relationships – a lot of it’s about trying to get people to like me. My stand-up is normally fairly personal. A lot of it comes from what’s

Twenty years ago, a legacy of goof, artlessness and capricious wisdom was born. Inducing university revues, cover gigs and tiny audiences alike into fits of laughter catapulted Tripod – a three-piece conglomeration featuring Scott ‘Scod’ Edgar, Simon ‘Yon’ Hall and Steven ‘Gatesy’ Gates – onto the national stage. Countless residencies at Collingwood’s once infamous comedy haunt, the Prince Patrick Hotel, were followed by festival sets at the Port Fairy Folk Festival, Queenscliff Music Festival and Woodford Folk Festival. Then they were invited to perform at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, an extravaganza they have since made their own.

They return to the 2016 Melbourne International Comedy Festival for their most makeshift tour yet, as they scour through 101 of their most well-received and venerated hits, randomly unveiled via a bingo cage. The apparatus, aptly or not-so-aptly named Dr. Shuff, has been shaped to dumbfound the crowd – and dumbfound the group themselves. Each performance will be completely unrehearsed and entirely dictated by the aspirations of Dr. Shuff.

“This show is the ultimate expression of that short attention span,” says Edgar. “We’ve got a bingo barrel with 101 balls in it, and every single night it’s just a totally different set.

We have to know all one hundred and one songs, and a different set will come out. It’s the most distilled technique of keeping ourselves interested.”

Maintaining a dynamic lifestyle hasn’t been difficult for the three misfits as they’ve juggled contributions in every production medium possible. They’ve dabbled in television appearances, owning the screen in sketch comedy series skitHOUSE and off-the-cuff variety series The Sideshow.

They’ve performed with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and have even launched their own comedic musical with Tripod versus the Dragon.

Switching between lifestyles with such expertise is something Edgar is modestly gratified about and he believes there shouldn’t be barriers between artistic avenues.

“The arts is a continuum. It’s not a series of fenced-off areas and never the twain shall meet. So all the arts can bleed

been happening with my life and what I’ve observed in the world. Apart from that, I find a lot of inspiration from middle Australia; the average man on the street.”

In addition to her solo show, Edmonds will team up with fellow comics Damien Power and Greg Larsen for a show with The True Australian Patriots – a satirical reflection on Reclaim Australia and the United Patriots Front movements.

“I think it’s something that we wanted to shine a light on and make fun of,” explains Edmonds. “These groups are making certain parts of the community feel pretty horrible, so we thought we’d have a go at them instead.

“I’ve always done a bit of character comedy. When I first started out, I did an online sketch called Raylene the Racist, which is actually similar in context to True Aussie Patriots.

It’s a bit sad because that was eight years ago and I don’t think we’ve moved forward very much since then.”

By Kelsey Berry

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VENUE: Melbourne Town Hall Cloak Room, Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, CBD DATES: March 24 – April 17 (except Mondays) TIMEs: 7.15pm (Sundays 6.15pm) TICKETS: $25 – $34

AL MURRAY

By Tom Parker

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Venue: Arts Centre Melbourne - The famous Speigeltent, 100 St Kilda Rd, CBD. Dates: March 24 – April 17 (except Mondays) Times: 8.30pm (Sundays 7.30pm) Tickets: $25 - $60

JEFF GREEN

The (British) Empire Strikes Back Al Murray is back with his beloved alter ego, The Pub Landlord, prepared to tackle the world’s most pressing issues with a sharp turn of phrase and an inimitable serving of larrikinism. With a mission statement to restore the GREAT to Great Britain, The (British) Empire Strikes Back intertwines savvy character acting with animated satire. Subtlety is out the window, as Murray demonstrates a keen knowledge for the World Financial Crisis, and an unbridled ability to pull off the sophisticated rant – topics include the (alleged) threat of halal beer and why ladies should stick to white wine. With over 20 years of donning The Pub Landlord persona, Murray is a veteran of the international comedy circuit, a winner of the heralded Perrier Award and has also delighted viewers on the screen with his British Comedy Award-winning series Al Murray’s

This is Your Life?

Happy Hour. Regularly performing to sold out audiences in past festivals, Murray is the master of turning common sense into belly-up laughter.

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Jeff Green is a man about town, popping up in the UK comedy scene whenever – and wherever – he pleases.

Books, specials and sold-out West End shows, he has lived a triumphant life without the undesirable tribulations.

A star here and abroad, Jeff is a lyrical craftsman, comedy master. After selling out Edinburgh Fringe and Australian comedy festivals in 2015, he began to wonder at the life he fell into.

This is Your Life? The meaning is reliant on intonation. Or perspective. Join Jeff as he attempts to answer this loaded question over a hilarious hour of reflection.

VENUE: Forum Theatre – Downstairs, Cnr Flinders & Russell Sts, CBD DATES: March 24 – April 3 (except Monday) TIMES: 9.45pm (Sundays 8.45pm) TICKETS: $33 – $39.50

Alastair Tomkins

Damien Power

Songs for Sarah Connor

Sell Mum Into Slavery

Of all the life lessons we learnt from the 1980s, chief among them has to be when somebody shows up at your door asking for Sarah Connor, you duck. Now 32 years old, The Terminator launched one of the most iconic roles in cinema history and the franchise continues to this day (Terminator Genisys was released just last year to mixed reviews). Yet now, audiences will find themselves facing a lesser-known side to the futuristic assassin in Songs for Sarah Connor, Alastair Tomkins’ mix-tape cabaret.

“I have taken a long bow with the [source],” Tomkins laughs. “I don’t want to give too many spoilers, apart from the fact it’s a love story, terminated. But originally it came from the juxtaposition of the Terminator in very mundane situations. How does the Terminator answer the door when Mormons come knocking? If pizza arrives but there are anchovies on it, what does the Terminator do? You place a character in an unusual situation, and improvise around it. He is two dimensional, especially in the first movie, but over the course of the series he becomes more and more human. He understands why John Connor cries. One of the key lines in the second movie was Sarah Connor realising the machine was the best kind of father figure John could ever have. He’s not going to get drunk, he’ll never yell at him. He’ll lay down his life to protect him. All of these things which are of the highest order of fatherhood and paternity were suddenly being endowed on a robot. A lot of that comes directly from the movie. I’ve tried to use everything that was validated or referenced there.”

Having already garnered rave responses from its Brisbane debut (and a five-star endorsement from Skynet itself), Songs for Sarah Connor is an unexpected fusion of laughter, loss, love and the apocalyptic rise of our dread robot overlords. Armed with a guitar gun (gone are the days of thinking of your electric as an axe), it is also a cabaret covering a wide spectrum of musical history.

“What’s the inner monologue of the Terminator? He just seems to have this one thing – to terminate Sarah Connor,” says Tomkins. “That’s the only thing we think is going through his mind. But maybe there’s something else. Maybe he’s a bit more sensitive than the other terminators? So I get to create these elaborate back

Damien Power returns to MICF with a new hour of stand-up, Sell Mum Into Slavery. Power scored a Barry nomination for last year’s politically alert show, I Can’t Believe I Cared.

That sort of kudos is an affirming confidence booster, but it could also heighten the pressure to deliver the goods once again. However, Power tries to disregard any competitive inclinations.

“I think it can be dangerous to see it like this show’s got to be better than the last show,” he says. “I’ve done that before and it sort of bit me in the arse a bit. You make [the show] over a whole year – I work on it every night and bits come and go. So when I’m working on the material throughout the year in the clubs, those bits that I’m working on and I hope to be my best bits, I try to set the bar higher as far as how insightful they are, how original, how funny.”

Much like I Can’t Believe I Cared, Sell Mum Into Slavery sees Power exploring issues of social, political and cosmic import.

The show’s own eye-grabbing title is a loose metaphor for its thematic agenda.

“The title was meant to be funny really, but the show does talk about capitalism and evolution and the next step of evolution,” he says. “The ‘sell your mum into slavery’ thing was a bit of a dig at capitalism, really – the idea that a businessman would do anything to get that deal done.

It’s sort of a cheap joke, but I think there are definitely elements relevant to that in parts of the show where I talk about the current economy and consumerism and stuff.”

After toying with gag comedy and impressions in his fledgling years, Power found immediate success once he started interrogating such loaded themes as racism, social and cultural value systems, social rituals and religion.

Despite exploring bigger issues, his comedy is very accessible – something which isn’t easily achieved.

“This show has a bit of stuff on space and consciousness, and you can get too caught up in that world of intellectual.

I’m trying to remove from my act any lecture-like tone of like, ‘This is how ideology works, this is how capitalism works, this is cosmology.’ When you get into that sort of tone, you’re not in stand-up anymore, and there’s none of

PAGE 10

into each other and inform each other. And I’m quietly proud in a slightly wanky way that I’ve gone on and been able to demonstrate that throughout my career.”

It’s been 20 years of Scod, Yon and Gatesy, but admittedly to Edgar, the triad extends another four or five years beyond that. “I have a memory of saying to my friend, ‘let’s get a guitar and do some harmonies and do some busking’ and the guy said ‘that sounds great’. Then behind me, up in a stairwell, is Yonny, who I only sort-of knew, and he was like ‘that’s good man, let’s do that’.”

Gatesy only joined the group a few years later. “Yonny knew Gatesy from performing in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. So we’re measuring the 20 years from when we first gigged with Gatesy, but it really began another four or five years prior to that.”

The suspense of 101 randomly-drawn Tripod songs is especially tantalising for a well-journeyed fan, however, even for those who aren’t aware of their music, it’s set to be an equally impressive show. “It’s a fun show. I don’t know what people can expect, it’s totally different every night and basically it is just glued together by a nailbiting tour through a completely random set list,” Edgar says. “We’ve done three shows in Brisbane so far and there has been plenty of people who haven’t seen us before who have really enjoyed it. The songs are in the book because we like them, so whatever the people get I’m sure it’ll be of a certain standard.”

stories. I already knew the characters, I know those worlds.

He has his gun guitar there, so can sing about all of these deaths, about the trials and tribulations of trying to find her. I wanted songs that supported the narrative, that had a cabaret background as well. Songs that were unexpected.

There’s a Creed song in there. I mean, I don’t even like Creed, but the lyrics supported the narrative. And the juxtaposition of going from something like a Patsy Cline song into a Creed song, from traditional Gershwin songs that are the best part of 100 years old into something very new with distorted guitar, I really liked that.”

Clocking in at just under an hour, Tomkins has managed to turn the story of a mindless, methodical killer into a twohander with a remarkable amount of depth. Sure, we’re still talking time-travelling Schwarzeneggers – but this time, with a twist.

“There’s also a lot of pathos here as well. Of course, there’s plenty of parody and satire in the mix. But there is a bit of a message and it’s ultimately about reflecting on the human condition, but that reflection is coming from a robot. He’s trying to mirror what already exists.”

By Adam Norris

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VENUE: Chapel Off Chapel - The Loft, 12 Lt Chapel St, Prahran DATES: April 12 - April 16 TIMES: 7pm (Saturday 2pm, 7pm) TICKETS: $25

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VENUES: Melbourne Town Hall – Supper Room, Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, Melbourne. Victoria Hotel - Banquet Room, 215 Lt Collins St, Melbourne DATES: March 24 – April 17 TIMES: Vic Hotel: 8.15pm (Sundays 7.15pm), Melbourne Town Hall: 7pm TICKETS: $22 – $32

that in this show. I’m trying to let the jokes have the ideas in them in an accessible way.

“When I go to try that stuff [in front of an audience], you can feel when you’re like, ‘OK this is just way too out there. You’re just jerking yourself off here.’ So that stuff just inevitably doesn’t make the cut. You can say the most beautiful profound thing in the world, but if it isn’t a great bit or if it isn’t really funny, then it just doesn’t make the cut.”

Comedy audiences are there to laugh, first and foremost.

But once laughing, people become more receptive to bolder material, and likewise more willing to consider viewpoints they mightn’t otherwise have encountered. “[I’m interested in] being an artist and pushing the medium and giving punters something they can think about and laugh about. If you come to my show, hopefully it’ll be thought provoking as well as just as funny. For me that equates to a better show. I’m coming from a more artistic point of view than saying, ‘People are going to leave and I’m going to change their lives.’

By Augustus Welby

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Venue: Melbourne Town Hall - Lunch Room, Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, CBD Dates: March 24 – April 17 (except Mondays and Sunday April 3) Times: 9.45pm (Sundays 8.45pm) Tickets: $22 - $29

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PAGE 11

Carl Donnelly

Kirsty Mac

Jive Ass Honky

Manflu

UK comic Carl Donnelly has changed his appearance over the last year or two. There’s something about him that looks reinvigorated. Did he get any make-over advice from anyone? “Nope. Only myself,” he says. “My low self-esteem dictates that I need to change my image regularly, chasing that mythical perfect look that will finally make me happy.

To date, it hasn’t happened and I’m running out of ideas.

So if you have any, I’m all ears.”

Is there any possibility he was funnier when he a tad more rotund? “There is every possibility. I was potentially more of a crowd pleaser, as was so desperately unhappy I wanted everyone to like me. As I’ve become slightly more content in myself with age, I’ve grown to realise that you can’t please all the people all the time. I’ve really run with that idea and have a couple of routines in the show that may try the more fair-weather comedy fan’s patience.”

Donnelly used to joke that he’d know when he’d made it because batteries wouldn’t seem too expensive. As his career has progressed, are batteries still too expensive?

“Yes they are,” he says. “My apathy with politics is hugely influenced by no politicians addressing this travesty. The moment a politician sticks their head above the parapet and says they’ll campaign to lower battery prices, they’ve got my vote.”

As well as making people laugh, Donnelly enjoys sitting on the other side of the laughter as well – picking up inspiration along the way.

“I’m actually very easily pleased by comedians,” he explains. “I’m a good audience member, and will laugh at any old shit. If I have to name someone I think is at the top end of my tastes, I’d say Tommy Tiernan is the best comedian on the planet currently. If you get a chance to see his show, do. If you want me to win brownie points by naming an Australian comedian, David Quirk is my favourite from your island.”

Of course, even Donnelly has had some rough gigs in his time. Like most comedians at the top of their game, he’s been through the good just as much as the bad. “I’ve been threatened onstage, forced to down about 20 drinks, smashed my head on a speaker, had a panic attack and so

It was a happy accident that Kirsty Mac ended up in the world of comedy, and we are glad she did.

Working in ticket sales for a comedy lounge, and not content with the sexism she was constantly hearing from the male comedians she was working hard to sell tickets for, Kirsty decided she wanted to be the one telling the jokes. Although up against an extraordinarily male dominated industry, Kirsty has a lot to say. She may more often than not be one of, if not the only woman hanging around the greenroom, but this hasn’t stopped her wanting to give women a voice through her work.

And now, after the roaring success of her first show, Feminazi – a passionate reclamation of the word – Kirsty Mac is back.

But this time, she has a different voice in mind – men.

“Feminazi was my first show, and ever since I’ve been wanting to do a show for men, essentially because I think when most people hear the word ‘feminism’ they think it’s for women and that men can’t join in. So, in writing the show I really wanted to highlight that sexism exists for men as well.

“It’s in those early beginnings of childhood, when boys are told to man up, not to cry and those sorts of things, that they grow up to have all these issues. Toxic masculinity stems from belittling men when they do show vulnerability and there aren’t many times when society says it’s OK for men to show vulnerability.”

Mac knows that when most of us hear the word ‘manflu,’ word associations start to accompany it. It’s an intrinsically sexist word towards men, she says – as though when men say they’re sick, the world responds with something like, ‘Oh please, it’s just the manflu’. So, in wanting to reclaim the word much like she did with Feminazi, the title of her sophomore show was born.

“I’m trying to unpack it,” Kirsty says of the concept of her show, “I’m trying to market it so that men think, ‘You know what? I want to go to this show.’ I really do want men to come, there’s no point doing it for the feminists, they’re already converted.”

And while it’s about giving the men a voice when it comes to the struggles they face with sexism, Kirsty also stresses

on. But the one that was the most uncomfortable involves the show I’m doing at MICF. There is a part at the end of the show that hinges on an earlier routine. Without the earlier routine, I look like a man who has had a nervous breakdown onstage. In one preview of the show I forgot to do the early routine, so when I started the end bit the whole room went silent and got concerned for my mental wellbeing. It was hard to end with funnies after that.”

What does Donnelly think makes him funny? “I think it’s a mix of mental health problems and likability. I’ve always had a head full of stuff that needed to come out, so stand-up was where I found out I could do that. By pure luck I think audiences can tell I’m not a dick, and that’s massive in comedy. You don’t have to like someone as a person to enjoy their comedy, but I think if you instantly feel comfortable with someone then you’ll relax and hear what they have to say. I think that on the whole I make people relax and know they’re in good hands.” Ultimately, Donnelly can distil his style down to a few core qualities. “Funny. Honest. Silly,” he says. “Sometimes interesting.”

By Liza Dezfouli

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Venue: Little Sista - The Upstairs Lounge, 240 Lt Collins St, CBD Dates: March 24 – April 17 (except Mondays) Time: 9.30pm Tickets: $25 - $32

JOEL DOMMETT

concerns relating to other issues such as domestic violence in her show.

“I don’t think men understand that women are attacked and assaulted as much as we are,” she says. “So I’m really trying to bring that across as well.”

Drawing on her own experiences and the plain and simple facts that exist surrounding this topic, her intent is to get people laughing, while getting people thinking. She boasts an innovative and refreshing approach to her delivery; as there is such shock-factor in the facts that she says, that people literally think it’s a joke. The impact is profound, and Mac hopes it will blow your mind.

By Abbey Lew-Kee

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Venue: Speakeasy HQ, 522 Flinders St, CBD Dates: March 31 – April 17 (except Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays) Time: 7pm Tickets: $20 - $25

BEST OF EDINBURGH

CONQUER In his Australian solo debut, one of the UK’s most energetic and charming performers brings us Conquer – one man’s hysterical quest to become the ‘world champion’ of something. Anything.

It all stems from a father-son relation, and the imparting of wisdom and experience: “If you don’t learn to focus you will never succeed at anything.” Joel accepted his father’s challenge with a fierce determination, and set out to prove him wrong. As it turns out, people are really good at stuff and this was going to be harder than first expected.

After winning over Aussie audiences as a burgeoning, yetto-be-seen UK talent in last year’s New Order, Joel returns with a charismatic, downright hilarious new show, ready to conquer hearts and minds with his quick wit and utterly endearing stories.

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Handpicked from the Edinburgh Fringe, Best of the Edinburgh Fest is an indulgent serve of brilliantly funny business showcasing the hottest up-and-coming talent from the UK comedy scene.

The unbeatable night of world-class comedy places three proverbially talented, albeit very different, comedians on the same stage. Each international act provides their own flavour in a three-course meal of comedy gold. This year’s lineup boasts the hilarious Justin Moorhouse (UK), John Hastings (CAN) and Danny O’Brien (IRL).

VENUE: Melbourne Town Hall – Cloak Room, Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, Melbourne DATES: March 24 – April 17 (except Mondays) TIMES: 9.45pm (8.45pm Sundays) TICKETS: $26.50 – $33.50

Nazeem Hussain

Tommy little

Hussain in the Membrane

dickhead

Nazeem Hussain has been performing at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival for nearly a decade, initially alongside his Fear of a Brown Planet sidekick Aamer Rahman, before debuting the solo show Legally Brown in 2015. He’s back in 2016 with Hussain in the Membrane, which has a more personal tone than the hotly politically stand-up that brought him fame. The Melbourne comedian has had a busy 12 months, performing in other capital cities as well as venturing to Europe, and he’s looking forward to his MICF return.

“I feel most comfortable performing in Melbourne,” Hussain says. “I feel like I’m amongst friends, sometimes I literally am, and Melburnians are comedy connoisseurs.

They love their comedy and they’re just excited, they like the quirkier bits – it’s a treat to perform in Melbourne.

I think sometimes you go to smaller towns and you just don’t know what their sensibilities are, but you know in Melbourne if it’s funny they’re going to laugh.”

Hussain is of Sri Lankan heritage and he identifies as Muslim. Throughout his career, his comedy has predominantly addressed race and religion, and associated prejudice and discrimination. This subject matter is by no means losing relevance, but Hussain in the Membrane shines a light onto his personal life.

“The last show I did was very political and I got to touch on some dangerous [topics],” he says. “This time I didn’t sit down and go, ‘This is the theme I want to write about.’

I just started coming up with funny things that I thought were interesting to talk about. Whether that’s boxing or becoming a homeowner or travelling around, to politics.

And the stuff that is political, I get to unpack those ideas a little bit more, and what it means to be religious.

“Sometimes I just talk about my religious identity as if it’s a given, but this show I get to deconstruct what it means to be religious in 2016 in Australia and the preconceived ideas around that, and how it almost is a radical thing to affirmatively have a belief in God when to be an atheist is to be rational. It’s looking at those sort of things from a different perspective.”

Hussain is now 30-years-old, and his views have inevitably expanded in recent years. Although the trajectory of

You are probably already familiar with Tommy Little. The well-loved comic has saturated Australian media since a young age, writing and starring in television shows as well as appearing on panels and most recently – his successful breakfast radio show. However, comedy has always been the cornerstone of everything he does. Having sold out his runs in previous years, the 2016 incarnation is looking to be no exception.

Late last year, Little became disenfranchised with his career.

He became “really quite pessimistic. [With] heaps of shows cancelled…while it keeps you on your toes, you start to learn everything is shit.” The ups and downs of his career got the better of him, and the result was a mild quarter-life crisis, with the high points of the year including identity fraud and going overseas to a health retreat that he escaped from 24 hours later. It culminated with his decision to “quit radio to do something new,” he says. “Not listen to shit pop tunes, or have to wake up at four in the morning.

Fortunately for little, the quarter-life crisis caused a reboot of sorts. He thought back to his first acting class experiences where he “tried to do drama, but everyone laughed.”

It offered a chance to explore talents of the past, and since he has had so many trials and tribulations this year, it proved the perfect chance to inform a new routine.

Consequently, his new stand-up show Dickhead was born. Plus, he says this way “dick jokes can pay for the apartment.” Little has always been a Melbourne favourite.

Although, he acknowledges that his family will most likely be absent from the audience. “They have had to put up with this for thirty years now. They are over it,” he laughs. “They will stay home to not get abused.” Ultimately, Little is ready to unleash his latest at MICF. “Life lessons will not be learned,” he says on the Dickhead hour. “If you giggle at the title, you’ll love it. If you hate musicals then you’ll love it. And if you don’t like it, go see a musical.”

PAGE 12

this show wasn’t strenuously mapped out, he views it as a reflection of how his thinking has developed.

“I guess that just does come with becoming a little bit older and having some different questions pop into your mind and you’re grappling with these things a little bit differently.

My comedy career has been pretty race and politics focused.

I think now I’m a little bit more comfortable about being honest and open, and about my own questions that I have about these things too. And I guess maybe my politics has shifted a little bit.

“I don’t think I’ll stop being political in my shows. If you are a brown or a Muslim person in Australia, those are things you’re probably going to end up talking about at some point because it’s so centrally connected to who you are.”

Regardless of race or religious views, anyone living in an organised society has a role in politics, which manifests itself in some way or another.

“You’re political whether you say something that sounds political or not,” says Hussain. “Whatever you do is political.

But this show I think is definitely a lot more personal, probably a little more honest, and maybe more critical or my own ideas. At the same time, I’m still very angry about the same sorts of things and there’s a lot of rants.”

By Augustus Welby

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Venue: ACMI - BEYOND, Federation Square, CBD Dates: March 24 – April 17 (except Mondays) Times: 7pm (Sundays 6pm) Tickets: $25 - $35

By Julie Carli

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VENUES: Forum Theatre – Downstairs, Cnr Flinders & Russell Sts, Melbourne, Forum Theatre – Upstairs, Cnr Flinders & Russell Sts, Melbourne DATES: March 24 – April 17 (except Mondays) TIMES: March 24 – April 3: 8.15pm (Sundays 7.15pm), April 5 – 17: 9pm (Sundays 8pm) TICKETS: $28 – $36

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Venue: Forum Theatre - Downstairs, Cnr Flinders & Russell St, CBD Dates: March 24 – April 3 (except Mondays) Times: 7pm from March 24 – April 3 (Sundays 6pm), 8.15pm from April 5 – 17 (Sundays 7.15pm) TICKETS: $25 - $34

BEAT’S MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL 2016 GUIDE BROUGHT TO YOU BY COOPERS

BEAT’S MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL 2016 GUIDE BROUGHT TO YOU BY COOPERS

PAGE 13

David O’Doherty

Tommy Tiernan

We Are All In The Gutter, But Some Of Us Are Looking At David O’Doherty

Out of the Whirlwind

David O’Doherty doesn’t mind a little self-deprecation.

It’s the kind of thing the Irish comedian might prescribe, noting the world’s apparent slide into self-obsession via social media. It’s an issue he covers in his upcoming show, We Are All In The Gutter But Some Of Us Are Looking At David O’Doherty. “I honestly think it’s one of the chief ills of the times we live in – the belief that everyone thinks that everyone else is having a brilliant time,” he explains. “An awful lot of people with social media are presenting this sort of curated, idealised vision of their own existence.

“While it is funny and silly and all the rest when someone you know whose life is a shambles just keeps uploading photographs of beautiful old typewriters sitting besides vases with flowers and hardback books placed at picturesque angles, at the same time, I honestly think it’s a factor in the rise of depression. People thinking, ‘Everyone’s got it sussed except for me,’” laments O’Doherty. “That’s something that I’ve wanted to talk about for a while but I think I’ve figured out a way to talk about it that’s reasonably funny in this show.”

While in Melbourne, O’Doherty will also be performing a show based on his bestselling children’s book series, Danger is Everywhere. “I’ve been writing children’s books for longer than I’ve been doing stand-up. I wrote my first kids’ book when I was in university in about ‘98 and then at the same time stand-up was the other thing I was into.

The Danger Is Everywhere show is set to offer a familyfriendly lesson in ‘Dangerology’. “They’re sort of semiimprovised shows where we discuss danger in the world that you probably don’t need to worry about, like sharks coming up out of the loo, snakes posing as toothbrushes,” explains O’Doherty. “These are probably all real things in Australia that you’re constantly worried about, but in Ireland everyone knows I’m only joking.“ Would it kill O’Doherty to take safety a little more seriously? He takes a moment to reminisce upon his own foolishness in the face of danger. “The first time I came to

Adelaide was in 2008 and Mark Watson – another very funny English comedian – was here. There was a heat wave, and we used to go after our shows and sometimes get the last tram out to Glenelg. We’d bring a bottle of wine and we’d have been to the central market that day and we’d have crackers and pâté, for some reason and we would go to the beach at like 11 or half-eleven and we would stand in the water up to our waists, eating pâté and talking about the problems in the world.”

“About a month after the festival, there was a great white [shark] attack. Someone was killed on that beach.

Afterwards, thinking about it, if you were trying to get killed by a great white shark, the correct thing to do is to stand in the water in the dark, throwing pâté decadently. It’s basically chumming – like we had some sort of death wish and I was to become Ireland’s first ever shark attack victim.”

Fortunately O’Doherty is safe and sound, ready to make his return to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. “I’m just really, really lucky that I can keep doing shows. People started coming to my show in Australia in about ‘06, ‘07 and that’s why the festival means a lot to me... it does feel like there is a bond with people who have gone and seen my shows. I really, really appreciate that.”

BY NICK MASON

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Venues: Forum Theatre - Upstairs, Cnr Flinders & Russell St, CBD & Melbourne Town Hall - Lower Town Hall, Cnr Swanston & Collins St, CBD (for Danger is Everywhere) Dates: March 24 - April 16 (except Mondays) Times: 7.15pm (Sundays 6.15pm. Danger is Everywhere runs 11am & 3pm) Tickets: $31 - $39.50 ($15 - $18 for Danger is Everywhere)

Despite what you might have read, Irish stand-up comedian Tommy Tiernan isn’t out to shock. Although comments from one of his shows attracted controversy when taken out of context a few years ago, controversy isn’t something he courts. “I don’t set out to offend or shock,” he says. His thoughts about the USA might offend some more patriotic North Americans, however – Tiernan is excited to be coming out to Australia, but doesn’t feel the same way about the States. “I’m not curious about America,” he says. “I am offended by America. It’s like a white Iran, full of Christian capitalist fundamentalists. I’m looking forward to getting to know Australians, whether it’s 80 people in a bar in the outback, or two thousand people in the Opera House.

I’m proud to play on the other side of the world. I’m keen to get across that I want to get to know Australia from a performer’s point of view.”

Does Tiernan, who used to play Father Kevin on the much loved television show Father Ted, get people waving green flags and shamrocks at his shows? “The Irish – absolutely,” he says. “I’m keen to get across that I’m proud to play for Irish people. It’s thrilling,” One of Tiernan’s more recent endeavours has seen him forgo the safety net of a well-rehearsed routine for a completely improvised show. “I start talking with no set list or anything. That’s the risk – a fully improvised show. You walk out on stage and have to talk for an hour.” Tiernan says that the improvisation in his last show has influenced his upcoming show for MICF – which is rehearsed, but peppered with moments of spontaneity. “[This] show is about getting older, about the awareness of getting older and the changing nature of ambition. When you’re younger, ambition is about status, recognition, lust and conquest. As you get older, you see the folly of all of those things. You see that every castle is built on sand. I’m 46 and I can see the futility of achievement. There are things now I want to experience rather than things I want to achieve. When you’re in your teens, twenties and thirties your libido rules, but the nature of it changes as you get older. You develop a lust for life rather than a sexual thing.”

ADAM HESS

URZILA CARLSON

Adam Hess is a rare comedian with the ability to sculpt the English language into utterly funny remarks and witticisms. Take his 48,000 strong Twitter following for instance. Armed with 140 characters and a licence to speak his mind, Adam earned the title of ‘funniest tweet of 2013’ from The Telegraph UK, and the ‘second funniest of 2014’ from The Sun UK. His flawless delivery of oneliners and quick-fire banter – always bright and skilfully versed ­– lights up the stage as well. Hence the nomination for Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer 2015, to go with the Chortle Student Comedy Award he received back in 2011. The multi-talented wordsmith also occupies a role writing for Russell Howard’s Good News, locks in regular TV appearances, and is a co-host of the cult hit podcast The Bear Pit alongside John Kearns. Adam will perform at this year’s festival as part of New Order, which aims to bring innovative comedians from across the UK and Europe to Australian shores for the first time.

Man Up is Urzila Carlson at her socially engaging best. The South African-born Kiwi will explore society’s expectations of a man when he becomes a husband and a father – especially if that man is a lady. She’ll examine gender roles, sexual rolls and ham rolls, all while demonstrating how to down a cup of cement and harden up — because big boys don’t cry right?

One of NZ’s best-loved comedians, Urzila needs no introduction in her adopted country. She took to the stage in 2008 and has racked up an impressive array of awards ever since, including winning five consecutive ‘Best Female Comedian’ awards at the NZ Comedy Guild Awards.

In Australia, Urzila was one of the first NZ comedians to be featured on Network Ten’s televised MICF Oxfam Comedy Gala, and has also been seen on ABC TV’s Comedy Up Late, Spicks and Specks and Dirty Laundry. Last year she toured

Short and sharp, Adam is an inventive, trailblazing comedian poised to make new fans down under.

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VENUE: Roxanne – Band Room, 2 Coverlid Place, CBD DATES: March 24 – April 17 (except Mondays) TIMES: 9.30pm (Sundays 8.30pm) TICKETS: $26.50 – $33.50

Michael Griffiths

Sri Wanka

In Vogue: Songs

by Madonna

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By Liza Dezfouli

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Venue: Arts Centre - Hamer Hall, 100 St Kilda Rd, CBD Date: Sunday April 17 Time: 8pm Tickets: $69.90

MAN UP

Dilruk Jayasinhas Last October, Token Artists welcomed Dilruk Jayasinha into their family with the Sri Lankan-born comedian joining a star-studded roster. “A lot of the comedians that have influenced me and a lot of the comedians I watched even before I started doing comedy are all signed with them,” Jayasinha says. “It’s a weird one to try and explain because I end up sounding like a fanboy, but that’s exactly what I am.”

In fact, a few festivals ago, Jayasinha called in favours to satiate his fandom. “The year before I started doing comedy myself, I remember I spent close to $700 on [Comedy Festival] tickets,” he recalls. “I was working with this other guy who is now a fellow comedian as well – Suren Jayemanne, who I worked with as an accountant – and I was really broke, so I had to borrow his credit card to buy all these Comedy Festival tickets. So I knew the exact amount I transferred to him at the end of the run.”

Jayasinha has since carved out his own career as a standup comedian, laying claim to a sold-out season at last year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival. All things considered, he seems to be on the right track. “When you get into this thing, there’s no rulebooks or guidelines to follow, as far as, you’ve got to do this and you’ve got to do that, then you get this and then you get that,” Jayasinha explains. “It doesn’t really exist, so it was a little bit like driving into darkness and trying to figure out what’s coming up next. So having this come up I guess is a little bit like, ‘Oh okay, I guess I’m actually going down the right direction.’ The flipside is, just because you are signed doesn’t necessarily mean that at the snap of fingers everything gets fixed and your career is sorted. There’s still a lot of grunt work to be done.”

Jayansinha has a massive couple of months ahead with the Melbourne International Comedy Festival season of his show Sri Wanka drawing closer. “It’s a collection of stories of where I’ve done some pretty dumb things and narrowly escaped with my dignity – sometimes not,” chuckles Jayasinha. “It’s also generally about becoming an adult.

It’s a collection of funny stories I’m trying to see if I can use to kind of guide me in the right direction... stories that I wished, at the time, no one would ever hear about.”

Is there anything Tiernan won’t talk about on stage? “I don’t avoid anything. But I don’t go on stage hoping to cause offence. The media creates a dynamic – a comedian’s job is to work the room, a journalist’s job is to work the story. No one has left any of my shows feeling outraged.

Things are taken out of context. There’s a contract with comedy, it’s like the boxing ring. Things are permitted in the boxing ring that are not permitted on the street. It’s a virtual given – the understanding is that we have license to play. I never intend to cause offence. My agenda is to undermine everything, including myself. A comedian is a fool as well as an upstart.” Like many great comedians, storytelling forms the crux of Tiernan’s comedy. “It’s an important part of Irish society, a social thing, not a performance thing,” he says. “It’s the way we interact with each other.” After years touring and making thousands laugh, Tiernan is finding the joy in life himself. “Comedy is a wonderful physical release,” he muses. “Making people laugh, it’s a marvellous thing. The creativity of comedy; I get such a kick out of being funny.”

Funnily enough, Jayasinha finds himself with a few fresh tales for Sri Wanka, thanks to a busy start to the year.

“This [show] is off the back of Melbourne Fringe, and since Melbourne Fringe there’s been a huge development, actually - something that happened two weeks ago in Perth. It’s now become almost the central theme of the show, so it’s taken this huge turn,” he reveals. “It’ll be a different experience.

There’s a lot that was in the Fringe show that won’t be in this one. It’s a different enough show that if you saw Melbourne Fringe, you wouldn’t feel short-changed if you saw it again.”

One thing that has stuck around, though, is the poster. “It is quite a confronting photo of me without a shirt, in a pool and I’m a very big dude. One of the responses I got from someone when I handed them a flyer with the picture was, ‘It looks like a sumo wrestler.’ Not even ‘he’, not even ‘you’ it looks like a sumo wrestler. Great. But I think it’s funny. It grabs attention, that’s for sure.”

By Nick Mason

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Venue: Victoria Hotel - Acacia Room, 215 Lt Collins St, CBD Dates: March 24 – April 17 (except Mondays) Times: 8.30pm (Sundays 7.30pm) Tickets: $20 - $25

With his upcoming MICF show, Michael Griffiths has taken a slew of Madonna’s greatest hits and deep cuts, and filtered them through the lens of cabaret. After winning numerous awards for his acclaimed performances, Griffiths is ready to take on the music of Madonna. There will be no accent, costumes or wigs – just a flawing musical journey through her tough and tender songs.

“She lost her mother at a young age, so there is a real sense of sincere, melancholy sadness in her work,” says Griffiths on the pop star’s upbringing. “Fans try and protect her because of this brokenness. “Most people probably forget or reject this part of her life, because her larger than life personality has eclipsed any human elements.”

The personality and the story are striking in themselves, but Griffiths’ show firmly “celebrates good, cleverly crafted songs and [insists] that collaboration is key to create something lasting.”

What may come as surprising to some, Madonna is known for playing a crucial role in the composition of her own music. “Sometimes we forget that she writes her own songs and was a big part of that collaboration process,” reflects Griffiths. “These songs are direct reflections of her life.”

Thus, the philosophy of the show has been properly laid out. In Vogue directly links Madonna’s life moments with the songs to emphasize both her story, her writing, and her songs.

While Griffiths is admittedly a fan himself, the show ultimately aims to appeal to a wider audience. “While its full of references that fans get, you don’t need to know the details because the songs are ubiquitous,” he says. “Actually, people who aren’t fans learn the most. There’s a wonderful nostalgia about the songs.”

While it does have its more pensive moments, Griffiths knows that when it comes down to it, In Vogue is at its core, fun. It is a Madonna-inspired show after all. He even pulls out her infamous coffee-table book, Sex, for “a tongue and cheek giggle with the audience”.

Even though Griffiths would never entertain the idea of inviting the Queen of Pop to his show for fear she would hate him forever, he has had some pretty big hitters attend

NSW and South East Asia with the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow. 2016 will be her fourth year at the MICF having previously sold out each of her first three seasons. So man up and don’t dilly-dally.

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VENUE: Melbourne Town Hall – Powder Room, Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, CBD. Swiss Club, 89 Flinders Lane (btw Russell & Exhibition Sts), CBD DATES: March 24 – April 17 TIMES: 8.15pm (7.15pm Sundays, 8.30pm Mondays) TICKETS: $25 – $32

In Vogue in the past. “The writer of Jersey Boys, Rick Elice, saw me perform the show in the mother-ship of New York,” he says proudly. With glowing reviews the world over, it’s easy to see why.

By Julie Carli

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Venue: Yarraville Club, 135 Stephen St, Yarraville Date: Friday April 15 Time: 8.30pm Tickets: $30

BEAT’S MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL 2016 GUIDE BROUGHT TO YOU BY COOPERS

Stew Walker

Steen Raskopoulos You Know The Drill

1 Night Stand: A Musical Comedy showcase For most people, the idea of being forced to perform a comedy routine to a room full of strangers is the stuff of nightmares, but for Stew Walker, the opportunity was a dream come true.

“I had a pretty interesting and unique entry to comedy,” explains Walker. “About four years ago, I was in the studio audience for Adam Hills in Gordon Street Tonight. I thought I was just going along to watch a show being taped, but about a month before you go on the show, you fill in an audience survey. One of the questions was ‘what’s on your bucket list?’ and I said that I wanted to perform at the Comedy Festival. I didn’t know at the time, but they’d been conspiring with my wife behind my back and they basically called my bluff on national TV and said ‘Well guess what, we’ve got a room booked for you at the Town Hall’. So I had six weeks to put together a half-hour show.

It was a totally amazing, money-can’t-buy experience. I thought ‘Yeah I kind of enjoyed that, the punters enjoyed it, I’d like to do more of it’.”

Since his inaugural appearance at MICF in 2012, Walker made his return to the festival last year with A Hard Day’s Night of Beatles Parodies. This year, Walker’s taking a slightly different approach, spearheading a one-night-only musical comedy showcase – the first of its kind for MICF. “I was thinking about what I was going to do at the Comedy Festival and I didn’t really have enough new stuff do another new show, so I thought ‘Oh, I should put a showcase show together’. Being a musical comedian, it made sense to do a show that’s just music.”

Headlining the night will be Rusty Berther, of Scared Weird Little Guys fame – making a rare festival appearance since the Scaredies’ farewell tour in 2011. Joining Berther and Walker on the bill will be Linda Beatty, a classically trained opera singer and Celtic harpist; cabaret performer Claire Healy alongside keyboardist Rohan Windle, ukulele player Melinda King, movie enthusiast and impersonator Andy Moratis and guitarist Darren Freak.

“I know that a few of the others were really excited

about the idea of performing with Rusty,” notes Walker. “I remember Darren [Freak] saying that the Scared Weird Little Guys were one of the things that got him started in comedy in the first place, so that’s going to be a real buzz, seeing Rusty up close and personal doing his stuff.”

With a 90-minute run time, the show is set to feature something for all kinds of comedy fans – expect everything from songs about the periodic table of elements to Arnold Schwarzenegger impersonations and an educational number outlining some unique names for particular parts of the male and female anatomy.

“The thing that’s interesting with musical comedy is that combination of trying to get the humour going, but also working within the structure of a song,” explains Walker. “It adds, I guess, an additional constraint – but it also means that you have to be creative in how you work within that constraint.

“One of the things that I think is really good about the show is the diversity of it. It’s not just one guy after another playing guitar and singing – we’ve got a good mix of female performers and some pretty diverse acts as well.”

By Kelsey Berry

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VENUE: Chapel Off Chapel The Loft, 12 Little Chapel St, Prahran DATE: April 2 TIMES: 7pm & 9pm TICKETS: $24 - $30

Though Steen Raskopoulos routinely seeks audience participation, he occasionally bites off more than he can chew. “I once had a couple of old Scottish ladies [in the audience] and, well, let’s say they were very into rubbing sunscreen on me.”

The Barry Award-nominated comedian has learned to expect the unexpected. Raskopoulous remembers a specific gig two years ago in London, in which he chose precisely the wrong punter for an all-in, disco-dancing finale. Or, at least, that’s how it first seemed. “He was really quiet and really to himself. For the next half of the show –­ in my head whilst doing the other sketches – I was going, ‘Oh God, he’s going to be terrible. He’s not even going to try and dance’. Then I got him up, we had thirty people up on stage and I was trying to convince him and he didn’t really look enthused or interested. But then, I kid you not, he did a whole John Travolta – point-to-the-heavens, point-to-the-floor – and was one of the best dancers I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Of course, nobody is expected to be an instant star in Raskopolous’ sketch routines the second they take to the stage. In fact, he actually empathises with the nervous punters he plucks from the crowd. “When people say the word audience participation, everyone freaks out and I do as well. If I go to a show, I’m the person going, ‘Please don’t pick me’ – because that’s just my personality,” he reveals.

“I feel that when I do it, I just want everyone to have fun, and I’d never pick on anyone to bully them or belittle them.

This is my job, they’ve come from their job and I don’t know what their day has been like. I don’t know what’s happening in their personal life, with their family, with their friends or whatever. I’d hate for someone to be forced on stage with that on board as well. I always want to come from a place of love and joy and happiness. I know that sounds super corny, but that’s genuinely a big reason why I do it.”

Raskopolous – a formidable triple threat of actor, comedian and improviser – returns to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival this year with You Know The Drill, an entirely fresh hour of material. “I like trying out new stuff and this show is completely new,” Raskopoulos explains.

“I’m trying new audience stuff, new characters, new tones

SARA PASCOE

ANTHONY MORGAN

ANIMAL

(YOUTH REFERENCE)

The critically acclaimed, thought provoking and always hilarious Sara Pascoe returns to Melbourne with Animal – a show about empathy and its limitations.

Animal is a mixture of completely true stories about Tony Blair, Oedipus Rex and the wildlife of London, plus stories that don’t sound true at all about glass ceilings in Japanese nightclubs, Henry the Hoover and when God took over the tannoy in Sainsbury’s supermarket. All animals evolved, but only humans evolved to the point of knowing they evolved. This troubling and confusing position is creatively explored in this brand new show from one of the UK’s most inquiring comic minds. Sara proves that the gift of education is one best served through laughter and hilarity.

Anthony Morgan got his start back in 1982. His improvised storytelling was ground-breaking back then, and has stood the test of time to remain relevant, invigorating even, in 2016. After what adds up to 800 years of experience, Morgan is ready to reference the youth that know him so well. Youth meaning ‘old people’. Youth meaning ‘young people’. You meaning ‘this generation of people’. In (Youth Reference) his undying commitment to youth means ‘fu**ing shit up’.

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Jan van de Stool

mae martin

I Get the Music In You

us

Beat has the privilege of interviewing musical theatre star, healer and Australia’s Got Talent contestant, Jan van de Stool (aka Queenie van de Zandt) about her show for this year’s MICF. Van de Stool’s world famous voicehealing workshops have even attracted talent like David Wenham. “He’s really famous,” says Woy Woy’s megastar of the stage. “I didn’t even know he was there. He will probably ask me to be in one of his films now.” Dutch born Van de Stool’s says her MICF show functions like the initial workshop in her musical therapy course. “I bring therapy to the people,” she kindly explains. “I have always had this talent with my voice. I have this gift and for years I didn’t even know. I have a name for it now – it’s ‘heal-arious’. Helen, who makes the tea and coffee at the Scout Hall where I work, and who’s my pianist, she made that up. It’s a power. I can go on stage and sing to the tulips and they’d wither, just like that. When I was young my mother would send me out of the house and I would sing to the cows at the top of my lungs and they’d stop milking. Who else can wither tulips or curdle milk with their voice? Only me.”

Now that she’s “TV famous”, Van de Stool says she’s in an ideal position to help others. “I am a very great person to help people – really famous people. People don’t always realise they can benefit from musical therapy. I can help people with affluenza. I can help people even when they are in the south of France, say, or when they’re drinking piña coladas; I can help the whole of Australia.” Bringing comedy and healing together in one show is something of an added bonus for audiences. “Everybody finds my work ‘heal-arious.’ Musical therapy involves people sharing their stories. We call them harmonic narratives. They’re actually songs but having the fancy title for their stories also helps people.”

Does Van de Stool think that being from the Netherlands makes her different in any way? “Oh, yes,” she says.

“Dutch people are brutally honest. We are very good like that, we have lots of opinions on lots of things and we are very judgemental. It’s really useful. I can tell what a person needs by looking at them. I look at you and I can tell you what’s wrong with you. You can expect criticism

Making her Melbourne Comedy Festival debut in 2016, Mae Martin will share her life, her ideals and her questions with the local audience. Inviting us into her personal life, the Canadian comedian is set to greet Australia with an open mind and for some of our creatures – open arms.

“It’s such a lame, tourist thing to say but I’m going to find a koala that I can touch,” Mae laughs. “Somebody told me there is a koala sanctuary. If I don’t find one, I will head into the bush – nothing will keep me away from them. I’ve heard their fingerprints are indistinguishable from human fingerprints; they could be committing so many crimes.

“My mum sent me a list of the most poisonous spiders and snakes in Australia. I don’t know what she thinks I’m going to be doing, but I have the list and I’m going to be crossreferencing constantly with things I see on the street.”

When Martin is not tracking our native wildlife, she’ll be performing her very own show, Us. Said to explore the realms of sexuality, labels and self-expression, the show will hone in on the importance of a neutral upbringing and adolescence.

“It’s a comedy show about my parents and my relationships.

I kind of work through from birth up until now,” she says. “I don’t want to give the impression I’m doing a TED talk, the important thing is that it’s a funny, stand up comedy show.

It’s kind of like a love letter to my parents, they always told me that sexuality is fluid and we don’t have to label it so rigidly. Moving to England was like coming out to the world and realising that not everybody thinks that way. I think we definitely need to evolve the way we think about sexuality, not just for gay people and gay rights, for everyone. The way we think about it is a bit archaic; we could be having so much more fun. I just don’t know who those labels are helping – I guess it’s easier to communicate and it’s a way of simplifying the nuisances of something quite complex.”

Starting in the comedy game at a young age, Martin is simultaneously a young, old-hand at stand-up. “Somebody took me to a comedy show, I loved the ambience and the vibe,” she explains. “The comedian brought me up on stage and put me on his knee and made me be like a ventriloquist doll. I did my first show when I was thirteen, I did some

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By Liza Dezfouli

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Venue: Trades Hall - The Music Room, Cnr Lygon & Victoria St, Carlton Dates: March 24 – April 17 (except Mondays) Times: 8.15pm (Sundays 7.15pm) Tickets: $22 ­­- $28

By Nick Mason

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VENUE: Melbourne Town Hall – Powder Room, Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, CBD DATES: March 24 – April 17 (except Mondays) TIMES: 7.15pm (6.15pm Sundays) TICKETS: $26.50 – $35

from me, and you can grow from that.” Van de Stool’s alarming gifts also extend to the paranormal. “I have many qualities. I am also a very good psychic,” she reveals. “In the world of spiritualism I’m known as a medium rare. I have that rare quality.”

Van de Stool also enjoys the support of her husband and cousin, Pieter. “He cooks and keeps the house, and pays the bills. But he is very shy; he doesn’t have a lot of confidence.” Is he threatened in any way by her success?

“Oh, no. He has his own life, he gets into his craft. He makes lovely cheese sculptures out of Edam and Gouda – it’s a really hard thing to do. I do get a bit irritated with him, because he gets things wrong. He spends time with his group of theatre ladies. They all love to go to Oxford Street in Sydney and go to their theatre dinners. They are very flamboyant. And they are all very tall too. They must be related.”

of comedy which I’m excited about. I’m excited just to get cracking in Melbourne.”

Interestingly, Raskopoulos’ writing process is specific to his brand of comedy. “I like to write things as a whole.

I know stand-ups will write five minutes and try it out.

Two minutes work, so they keep it and then try another five minutes out. I think with my shows, because there is such a narrative element and a character-development element, I can’t necessarily just go and do that at an open mic night. I think a lot of people would be like, ‘What the fuck is he doing?’” jokes Raskopoulos. “I write shows like a jigsaw puzzle. I personally don’t know which order it’s going to fit in, but when I do the show I think of new ways to create everything within the same world.”

Improvisation is an equally integral component of Raskopoulos’ act. “There’s always different styles and different ways to do it,” he says of improvisation. “There’s never a right way or wrong way. If you get to a point where you think you’re a good improviser, I think you’ve always got room to grow and more room to learn.”

Venues: Swiss Club, 89 Flinders Lane, CBD & Melbourne Town Hall - Supper Room, Cnr Swanston & Collins St, CBD (Monday 11 only) Dates: March 24 – April 17 Times: 7pm (Sundays 6pm, April 11 9.30pm) Tickets: $24 - $32

VENUE: Victoria Hotel - Banquet Room, 215 Lt Collins St, Melbourne DATES: April 2 – 3 TIMES: Saturday 5.30pm, Sunday 4.30pm TICKETS: $35

really embarrassing stuff in the early years.”

Never closing off any doors, she confirms that in the case of a career change, she has a steady and stable back-up plan. “I’d want to be Bette Midler’s personal assistant.

You know the song Wind Beneath My Wings? I’d love to be the wind beneath Bette Midler’s wings – just in the shadows, really supporting her and organising all of her appointments,” she laughs.

By Phoebe Robertson

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Venue: Melbourne Town Hall - Cloak Room, Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, CBD Dates: March 24 – April 17 Times: 8.30pm (Sundays 7.30pm) Tickets: $26.50 - $33.50

BEAT’S MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL 2016 GUIDE BROUGHT TO YOU BY COOPERS

BEAT’S MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL 2016 GUIDE BROUGHT TO YOU BY COOPERS

PAGE 17

LUISA OMIELAN

Bugle Boys

Am I RIght Ladies?!

A Salute to the Andrews Sisters

Here’s the funny thing about a comedy festival: when you leave it all on the stage twenty-plus nights in a row, the jokes tend to wear thin after a while – just ask UK standup sensation Luisa Omielan. “I felt exhausted by the end of it,” she admits of her first Melbourne International Comedy Festival. “A lot of that was to do with [the fact that] I’m not good with new places and moving and change, it really freaks me out.”

Omielan specifically recalls the challenges she faced in playing to an entirely new audience. Though she ultimately scored herself a Barry Award nomination for her show, What Would Beyoncé?! – a critically acclaimed smash-hit abroad – Melbourne’s audiences were initially guarded. “The whole thing was a culture shock for me, especially coming from the UK and having such receptive audiences there, it was a different ball game.”

And now, Omielan has returned to Melbourne, hoping for a comprehensively positive experience this time around. She’s already on track: when Omielan broadcasted her quest for breakfast via Periscope, her fans quickly responded, following her journey and pitching in with suggestions. “I think that’s at the heart of why I already feel better this year,” begins Omielan. “Because even that little video where my fans were telling me where to go and where to go and eat, it immediately makes me feel less isolated. You go, ‘I’m not on my own in a foreign country, I’ve got people that know me, that know that I’m here, that are telling their friends that I’m on.’ It’s a complete turnaround from last year when nobody knew me and I was starting from scratch. It made me feel more at home, just having their comments.”

Omielan is currently gearing up for a huge season of Am I Right Ladies?!, her follow-up show that’s sure to entice old fans and new fans alike. “It’s kind of a manifesto of where I’m at in my life. I talk about body image, mental health, career choices, I talk about being single as opposed to being in a relationship and just pursuing a lifestyle that I want to maintain,” she explains. “It’s like part two of Beyoncé – a more grown-up-woman version of what happened next, after Beyoncé. It’s a manifesto of being a

21st century woman, I guess.”

Omielan has a specific vision for the show and hopes that she can give something special to her audiences. “I just hope that they come with an open mind and a willingness to lose themselves. It’s a party show and it’s specially for them.

It’s there for them to enjoy and leave feeling empowered and excited and ready to take on the world. I just hope that translates.”

Incidentally, Omielan backs herself in more than ever.

“Beyoncé gave me confidence to tackle topics, she reveals.

“You go, ‘I know my audience now, I know who I’m talking to and I know they’ll love this.’ It’s much easier to write a show. Playing around, I was more confident because I had Beyoncé behind me.”

Omielan has every reason to be confident, too: the success of What Would Beyoncé Do?! continues to ripple, the UK comic laying claim to not only a book deal, but a TV pilot.

“It’s a bit of a mash-up of sitcom slash stand-up slash reality show,” she reveals. “It’s just a pilot... it’s up to the channel to decide whether or not they want to make it into a TV series. So I have to wait to see if I got it. Fingers crossed!”

By Nick Mason

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Venue: Victoria Hotel - Banquet Room, 215 Lt Collins St, CBD Dates: March 24 – April 17 (except Mondays) Times: 9.45pm (Sundays 8.45pm) Tickets: $20 - $32

JOSEPH GREEN AND ROHAN GANJU DIRTY SOAP Joseph Green won 2015’s Melbourne Comedy HQ Prize Night. Rohan Ganju was the Runner Up at the RAW Comedy National Grand Final 2015. Both are destined for great things and their festival show Dirty Soap is reflective of a pair brimming with comedic flair and versatility.

Sammy J & Randy called Joseph, “smart, funny and handsome. Let’s kill him before he gets all the good gigs.”

While Beat Magazine had nothing but praise for Rohan: “Delivery was exceptional, jokes were the perfect mix between clever and absurd.”

Dirty Soap marks the start of an illustrious career for both comedians.

Michael Dalton, Jon Jackson and Andrew Dessmann are the Bugle Boys. Paying homage the ultimate girl group in the late 1930’s and 1940’s, The Andrew Sisters, the guys are set to frock up and bring new life to the iconic act’s musical works.

“I’ve got the biggest tits so I should get a solo for each one – that was in my contract,” laughs Jon. “I haven’t done drag before but I think if I was a woman, given my size, I would have a fantastic rack. What’s the point unless you’ve got very high heels, an enormous wig, big boobs and a hip flask shoved down your bra?”

Written by John Livings, Bugle Boys will blend comedy and cabaret like no other. Bringing together three impeccable performers, the show is an epic collaborative piece. “It’s all very well to get dressed up as women and pretend to be The Andrew Sisters, but we sing the songs, we actually do sing the harmonies,” Jon explains. “Mark Jones wrote the arrangements, I play the soprano part, that was what Maxene originally did, she was the high voice – LaVerne [Dessmann] was the low voice and Patty [Dalton] was the middle voice.”

“The largest performance in the show is of course Michael, who plays Patty: she’s kind of the straight guy though.

Maxene is a fat drunk, she sings really well and for some reason, even though she drinks gallons of brandy and rum during the show, she still manages to sing pitch perfect and get all the dance moves right. The other character, LaVerne, is a total slut – so Patty’s got a nymphomaniac sister and a dipsomaniac sister.”

Debuting their show late last year, the trio are more than acquainted with the preparation it takes to transform into the Bugle Boys. Gaining a sheer appreciation for the art, they have had their fair share of challenges. “You don’t realise how hard it is to make yourself look female when you’re actually not,” he laughs. “You’ve got to get rid of the beard line and I’m no spring chicken, so you’ve got to try to get rid of the eye bags and hide your eyebrows.”

“It took me ages to learn how to do high-heels. How

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Venue: Athenaeum Theatre, 188 Collins St, CBD Dates: March 25 – April 17 (running on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays) Times: 5.30pm (Sundays 4.30pm) Tickets: $30

PLEASE UNTICK THIS BOX

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VENUE: The Upstairs Lounge at Little Sista, 240 Lt Collins St, CBD DATES: April 5 – 17 TIMES: 11.30pm TICKETS: $15

Danny Bhoy is back with a brand new show. Titled Please Untick This Box. The show is guaranteed to make you laugh.

Since his first visit to Australia in 2003, Danny Bhoy has become one of the most globally successful and prolific comics working in the world today. He has built up a massive following in Australia and New Zealand, where his tours have broken attendance records.

Danny’s unique brand of storytelling and razor-sharp wit has been described as “effortlessly funny” and “the stand up equivalent of Bill Bryson.” Always with a smile on his face, having a chuckle, and taking part in some fun-loving antics – Danny Bhoy knows how to put on a show with gusto.

Penny Arcade

Winged Goddess of Victory

Longing Lasts Longer

PAGE 18

By Phoebe Robertson

DANNY BHOY

Jimmy McGhie Jimmy McGhie has been at this for a while. A regular feature of the UK comedy scene since reaching the finals of the BBC New Talent contest back in 2005, the affable young stand-up has earned a reputation as a reliable performer with a knack for storytelling and observational humour. He’s no stranger to our side of the world either, having performed at comic gatherings around the country, including several visits to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

“Stand up is a strange one,” McGhie says of his chosen profession. “When you start, the gigs you do tend to be less good. So you are playing much harder rooms when you have little or no experience. As you get better, so do the gigs, which to be honest is brilliant. If you play a beautiful packed out theatre, it’s just a joyful experience.”

Comedy may be a strange job, but it would seem it’s the only one for him. Asked what he’d do if he had to pick a different path, McGhie says he’d be “making television programs about weather and daydreaming about being a comedian.” More than a decade into his career, we’re guessing that’s not a legitimate option, if it ever really was. The good news is that McGhie, who studied drama at university before taking a left turn into stand-up, believes his comedy has improved as he’s matured. “With each passing year I am a better comedian naturally,” he says. While that may be true, he’s also quick to point out that it’s not always smooth sailing. “You can get lazy or plateau or just go through bad patches where the selfdoubt becomes crippling, and you just decide you are not funny anymore,” he admits.

Likewise, no amount of experience can ever totally prepare you for how an audience will react to a given show. “Occasionally you come up with something and you instinctively know it will work,” he says. “This is very rare, so usually you are just throwing ideas at the audience and praying.”

His upcoming show for the Comedy Festival is titled Winged Goddess of Victory. “It’s about hypocrisy, drugs, vanity, dark family drama and death,” he says, somewhat

women walk and run in them…I just don’t get it. I wear the highest ones of the show, there’s no point being as magnificent as Maxene is and then putting her in flats.

I’m also learning how to put on pantyhose – three pairs because I don’t want to shave my legs.”

Nevertheless, the multi-skilled entertainer has found solace in his eccentric character, removing the boundaries of gender, sexuality, age and well, common decency. “For a couple of hours a day I get to be this outrageous woman.

It is rather liberating,” he says. “You become ageless too.

She’s a way of expressing myself that I don’t usually get to. I get to be rude and nasty, she’s mean and selfish – but in a fun way of course.”

Remaining forever faithful to the original songs, the Bugle Boys use dynamic dance routines and physical expression to make the show their own. “Musically, we leave them the same. In fact, they’re incredibly close to the original arrangements,” Jon insists. “The main way we re-interpret them is more of a visual thing – how we do it, not what we do. Of course we take the music very seriously, but the rest of it is, well it’s a comedy festival for god sake – it’s supposed to be funny. It’s purely for entertainment and play.”

cryptically. The description in the MICF program is similarly vague, if also rather intriguing. “Jimmy brings his acclaimed storytelling stand-up to Melbourne warm, angry, absurd and honest,” it reads. “Confronting masculinity, mortality, the sins of the father and a complete inability to resist a good salesman.” McGhie debuted the show ahead of the Edinburgh Fringe last year, with critics describing a candid, at times personal performance in which tales of the comic’s father featured prominently.

“I’m a big fan of honesty in stand-up,” says McGhie, when asked of the topics he finds himself wanting to cover. “I try to talk about real things that have actually happened. I love performers who live their art.” As for the things he does his best to steer clear of? “Only subjects which I don’t have a thorough command of,” he says. “I think it’s important for a comedian to know their subject matter inside out.”

Perhaps this explains the personal bent of his current act, and why he tends to avoid making jokes about politicians.

Instead, when sitting down to work on a show, McGhie picks his subject matter first, and lets the comedy come from there. “My process is to decide on a rough theme and then write to that theme,” he says. “Sometimes it will change wildly during the process and end up almost completely different by the end.”

By Tom Clift

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Venue: Little Sista – The Upstairs Lounge, 240 Lt Collins St, CBD Dates: March 24 – April 17 (except Mondays) Time: 8.30pm Tickets: $25 - $32

Performance artist Penny Arcade is a one-of-a-kind comedian who is well-known for her debut with John Vaccaro’s Playhouse of the Ridiculous in 1967, as well as becoming an Andy Warhol Factory Superstar in 1969. Penny has always been credited for her unconventional and awe-inspiring ideas. She last toured Australia twenty years ago with her show Bitch! Dyke! Faghag! Whore!, which explored themes of sex and censorship, and now she’s back in Australia to perform her new show Longing Lasts Longer, which is part theatre, part stand-up, part memoir and part manifesto.

Penny left her home in Connecticut from a young age, which she did out of survival rather than simply following her dreams. “Everything I did for the first fifty years of my life was driven by survival,” she says. This is why I have a passion to support individuality in other people. If you are someone who is sensitive and needs support, and you cannot get this from your family, you are at risk for a series of unfortunate decisions as you try to find this approval in other people. Me being a performer is a result of my nature, which is playful and expressive,” she says.

Being 65 years old, Penny certainly has a lot of life experience, but that doesn’t necessarily mean she’s actually grown up. “I’m sixty-five and nobody can out rock me, because I never grew up. I didn’t get pushed into growing up. Young people are being pushed into growing up and being grown-ups in their twenties,” she says. “The twenties are the last time you’ll have any freedom and every single one of you is giving it up. Every single one of you wants a career, every single one of you wants a mortgage, every single one of you wants to eat in a fancy restaurant with tablecloths, every one of you thinks nothing of drinking, of fucking fifteen-dollar cocktails, and basically it’s all those things. We’re supposed to be waiting for you as the compensation prize for not having sex all the time when you’re fifty.”

Penny discusses how young people have always been the ones critiquing the culture, because they deem themselves the observers. In her opinion, young people are no longer observing the culture anymore, because they already consider themselves to be experts. “We could have

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VENUE: Arts Centre Melbourne – Hamer Hall, 100 St Kilda Rd, CBD DATES: April 3 – 7 TIMES: 8pm TICKETS: $54.90

adventures and live an experimental life,” she says on her generation. “But you guys have been totally sucked in to being experts, and to defend your point of view at your age which is absurd, how could you just develop a point of view, if your point of view is supposed to develop between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five?

“It’s not fair to you guys, but nobody’s talking about it and I think that is why my show has been such a huge hit with people under thirty, because nobody is saying the things I’m saying. The only person who can give you a perspective that is sex, drugs and rock n roll is somebody who is over sixty, because we’re the ones who have lived it.”

By Christine Tsimbis

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Venue: Arts Centre Melbourne The Spiegeltent, 100 St Kilda Rd, CBD Dates: March 24 – April 3 Times: 7pm (Sundays 6pm) Tickets: $30 - $40

BEAT’S MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL 2016 GUIDE BROUGHT TO YOU BY COOPERS

SNORT with friends

BEAT’S MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL 2016 GUIDE BROUGHT TO YOU BY COOPERS

PAGE 21

Loft Theatre, Chapel Off Chapel www.chapeloffchapel.com.au

Tuesday 12 April to Saturday 16 April 2016

www.songsforsarahconnor.com

BEAT’S MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL 2016 GUIDE BROUGHT TO YOU BY COOPERS

PAGE 23

Kate Dehnert

Tom Ballard

Shabamalam

Boundless Plains and to Share The World Keeps Happening

For those not familiar with Kate Dehnert’s style of comedy, it can best be described as absurd yet charming.

Her past two MICF shows, Noise Adventure and Pony Yell, have seen her gallivant, glitter-clad around small CBD stages, spouting fantastical tales about horses with back problems and the first human voyage to Mars, often to the electronic beats of the various musical toys that have become a defining part of her act.

This year, Dehnert returns more manic than ever with Shabamalam, in which she uses the cataclysmic event of an asteroid hitting Earth to reflect on how humans are equal parts stupid and loveable.

“It’s easily the craziest thing I’ve ever written,” Dehnert says of the show. “But I think it’s the best thing I’ve written at the same time.”

Perhaps because of its energetic and highly individual character, Dehnert’s work has been received warmly by critics and fans alike, and she says over the years her act has become more polished even with the mayhem it entails.

“I guess my style is more developed now. I mean, I still kind of get a whole lot of ideas and throw them together – I think that’s sort of what my schtick is – but definitely I feel more refined.”

Her development as a comedian received a significant boost in October, when she became one of four recipients of a Moosehead grant. The Mooseheads are local awards that support comedians with “mental and overly ambitious” ideas, while offering recipients funding along with their very own director and producer to help create their show as part of the MICF. “It’s meant that I’ve have more time to work on comedy,” Dehnert says of the value of the Moosehead. Most comedians have to have a day job until they’re on TV, and so this meant I could actually do the show justice.

“You have all these grandiose ideas for a show, but the harsh realities of life mean you often don’t have enough time to work on them. So having that extra month up my sleeve to prepare, it’s been huge, it’s been amazing.”

Local comedy favorite Colin Lane has been brought in as

director of Shabamalam as part of the Moosehead award, and Dehnert says Lane’s input into her work has been “fantastic”.

“Colin has a very different point of view, which is very silly and light hearted and kind of cynical, but I like that. It’s valuable just having someone outside of your show just look at it with those years of experience behind them and see opportunity for funny in places you wouldn’t have seen yourself, because you’re standing in the middle of it.”

In some ways it’s fitting that the venue for Shabamalam is ACMI. One of the film museum’s stated aims is to be a vibrant space – both physical and digital – that unlocks new types of creativity.

Dehnert is certainly bringing new creativity to her comedy shows with her use of pint-sized electronic instruments, though she says this is as much about self-gratification as it is creating a unique show.

“It’s kind of like reading a book in a way. The audio gives you hints and you can visualize the rest, so it means everyone can get their own thing out of it. But ultimately it’s purely for selfish reasons, I just enjoy doing it.”

Dehnert agrees that her shows are for people looking for something different to the normal standup experience.

“I can definitely offer that,” she says. “It’s original, fun and ridiculous – and it kind of works for me.”

By Alexander Darling

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Venue: ACMI - Games Room, Federation Square, CBD Dates: March 24 – April 17 (except Mondays) Times: 8.15pm (Sundays 7.15pm) Tickets: $20 - $25

Two Tom Ballards seem to have emerged in the past 12 months.

One of them is the up-and-coming comedian Tom Ballard, who in the last year has been nominated for Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Fringe, and performed alongside stand-up superstars Wanda Sykes and Jimmy Carr in Montreal.

“I was very cautious and nervous about how that [going overseas] was going to go down. It was kind of a real test,” says Ballard of heading to Edinburgh. I’d built up a bit of an audience in Australia but going overseas it was like ‘OK, let’s see if you can be funny to other human beings who have little shared experience with you and judge you on face value’.

“I had a lovely time and I really enjoyed Edinburgh and Montreal – but to come back to Australia to people who like my stuff and have seen me before, and like coming out and seeing what I’m talking about this year, it is a bit of a relief.

The second Tom Ballard is the increasingly political young man, who in the past year has hosted the ABC’s Q&A and interviewed politicians, journalists and priests for his political podcast, Like I’m A Six-Year Old. The two Toms look set to join forces at the MICF, where the former triple j host is performing two stand-up shows, one of which seeks to deconstruct the history of Australia’s brutal approach to immigration and refugees.

“I’m 26 and I’ve done shows about coming out, having my heartbroken, a family holiday, and at this point honestly it’s things like refugees that interest me,” says Ballard, explaining how the show Boundless Plains to Share came about.

“I just found myself obsessing over it and wanting to learn as much as I could about this toxic issue that’s been around for as long as I can remember. And I do comedy shows, so I thought I’d marry those two together.”

On the surface, trying to make a comedy show out of an issue that tends to divide a room of Australians rather than make them laugh seems challenging

SHANNAN LIM AND VIDYA RAJAN

AMOS GILL

ASIAN GHOST-ERY

At only 24 years of age Amos Gill is a Melbourne International Comedy Festival Best Newcomer nominee, was a national finalist in triple j’s RAW Comedy, and was handpicked by Just For Laughs to perform on their TV special filmed at the Sydney Opera House.

He’s also filmed a stand-up special for TV on Stand Up At Bella Union, travelled the world hosting kids TV, and hosts his own breaky radio show in Adelaide. It’s fair to say he’s done a thing or two in his comedy career.

All he wants from you is to come and hang out while he tells a few jokes in his show Netflix and Gill. He’s not looking for anything else. Whatever happens, happens. It’s one hour, together, no strings attached.

Raised in the aisles of Asian grocery stores, the time has come for Shannan Lim and Vidya Rajan to escape – and haunt modern Australia. But how do a couple of ghosts conjure a stylish, post-racial image while stuffing their faces with Hello Panda? In Asian Ghost-ery store Shan and Yaya glide through a late-night trolley ride of story, performance, sketch and meandering rumination. Part truthful, part ball of lies, this is an exorcism – a dark yet gleeful shopping spree of their shared consciousness.

And the winner of the Award for Innovation in Culturally Diverse Practice at 2015’s Melbourne Fringe.

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VENUE: Trades Hall - The Quilt Room, Cnr Lygon & Victoria Sts, Carlton DATES: March 24 – April 3 TIMES: 7.15pm (Sundays 6.15pm) TICKETS: $20 – $25

Susie Youssef

Live

Check Youssef Before You Wreck Youssef

PAGE 24

By Alexander Darling

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Venues: Melbourne Town Hall - Supper Room, Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, CBD. Trades Hall - New Ballroom, Dates: March 24 – April 17 for The World Keeps Happening (except Mondays and Wednesdays), March 26 – April 17 for Boundless Plains (Saturdays, Sundays & Mondays only) Times: 8.15pm for The World Keeps Happening (Sundays 7.15pm), 5.15pm for Boundless Plains (Saturday April 9 5.45pm & Sundays 4.15pm) Tickets: $22 - $27.50

Netflix and Gill

Tom Green Tom Green is arguably the trailblazer of modern-day prank culture captured on film.

Before YouTube, Periscope, Vine and Snapchat, Green was terrorising unsuspecting targets with a video camera and his unique sense of humour. A quarter of a decade later, he continues to entertain audiences around the world, and will be bringing the laughs to the Melbourne Comedy Festival on his latest stand-up tour. Unfortunately for us old-school fans, he has confirmed the Slut Mobile will be remaining at home.

“The hood of the car still exists! Is it the ‘bonnet’ or the ‘hood’ in Australia? That is where the painting was on my parents’ 1992 Honda Accord. I replaced it for them and kept the bonnet, so I have the Slut Mobile and it’s hanging in my garage here in Los Angeles.”

The Tom Green Show, which aired from 1994-2000, was incredibly innovative in the world of comedy at the time.

Green admits he and his team were conscious of their pioneering prank comedy style. “We were aware that we were doing something that was new and hadn’t really been done on television, and I think that was a big part of the motivation behind a lot of the ideas. We tried to use video cameras in a way that we hadn’t seen them used before to do pranks and make a TV show in a really raw and guerilla way.”

Although he still dabbles in prank culture, Green doesn’t feel that is entirely what he’s about anymore. “Everything has become so mainstream, whether it’s YouTube, Vine, Instagram or Twitter. I use all of that stuff and it’s fun for me, but I think the place where I’m getting my most creative inspiration from is onstage doing stand-up. That’s where I really get to talk about the world we’re living in, the absurdities I feel that aren’t talked about in the mainstream media by other comedians. That’s where I feel I can do the most innovative stuff.”

When it comes to his social media presence, Green explains he has something of a love/hate relationship with the internet and technology. “I use it all the time and we’re living in a world now where so many people get their information from social media,” he says. “But

“I genuinely do hope people with lots of different political opinions do come along,” says Ballard. “It’s also a deconstruction of the history of Australia’s treatment of refugees and approach to immigration generally.”

Ballard continues down this path of mixing comedy and commentary with his second show at MICF, The World Keeps Happening.

“The world keeps going along and being fucked,” he says.

“Maybe it always feels like this, maybe human beings always think we’re at the end of history. But it seems to me like a crazy time in the world: We’re on the verge of environmental collapse, there are psychotic extremists trying to kill us, looks like Donald Trump will be president soon. We’re ruled over by millionaires and I like Justin Bieber now.”

then I’m also frustrated by how much time I spend on it and how much time others spend on it. Especially when you’re hanging out and everyone’s on their phones and not talking to each other, and that has become a consistent theme in my stand-up over the years.”

He continues, “It’s very cathartic for me to get up onstage and vent frustrations about things, but it’s also a lot of fun to interact with audiences that are having a great time and grew up watching the Slut Mobile and remember that their favourite movie is Freddy Got Fingered.”

Stand-up has also given Green a chance to get back to his comedy roots. “I started doing stand-up when I was a teenager, long before I was doing films and television – it was really my first toe in the water of show business. It’s super exciting to be able to focus on it now at an older age and have a lot more perspective on the world and my opinions on things. It’s really been great.”

Now that his perspectives have evolved, Green ponders the question of whether his entire sense of humour has changed.

“In some ways, yeah, but I’ve always liked to look at the world and poke fun at it and pick it apart from a weird point of view. As a stand-up comedian it’s a completely different type of comedy than making video pranks, but the heart of it is hopefully shining a light on the power and hypocrisy in the world and laughing at it.”

By Tegan Reeves

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Venue: Athenaeum Theatre, 188 Collins St, CBD Dates: March 23 – March 28 Times: Monday 8.15pm, Wednesday - Saturday 9.30pm, Sunday 8.30pm Tickets: $49.20

“There is an element of self-deprecation in my comedy,” says critically lauded comedian Susie Youssef ahead of her upcoming MICF show, Check Youssef Before You Wreck Youssef.

“I’ve joked about being single. It used to mean more when I was younger,” she says. “There has been a lot of backlash about clichés, but these experiences are real for the person going through them. So they’re shared experiences. And they become clichés because so many people share them.

It doesn’t matter what you joke about, as long as you’ve worked hard at something to make it funny. Those shared experiences are a quick way to connect, even if it’s clichéd.

Just being bloody funny – that’s where the longevity is in comedy. The gender issue is a small part of the difficulty. I’m not saying it isn’t real – because it is – but it’s a small part of the difficulty.”

While many have waxed lyrical about Youssef’s comedic prowess, she is reluctant to identify these qualities herself.

“These are things you recognise in other people,” she says, ever humble. “The amusement comes from the things and stories that are more specific and more personal. I find that the more specific and personal I am, the more I’m connecting. I make jokes about my family Christmases. We had trinket donkeys that dispensed cigarettes from their arseholes. When I was growing up, I thought that was normal. I come from a family of people with a good sense of humour. And the jokes are usually on me. I’ve been really lucky. I’ve had experience across the board, especially in the last three years.”

Youssef has impressed audiences in Edinburgh, New York, Chicago and Atlanta with her spontaneous sharpness and has enjoyed guest television appearances on the likes of How Not To Behave, Media Circus and The Checkout.

By all accounts, she’s doing extremely well for herself.

“Appearances can be deceiving,” she laughs. “You live from gig to gig. We don’t put the difficulties out in public as much as the highlights. When you get up and perform, people infer confidence. But with me, and a lot of comedians I know, confidence is a wavering thing. You want to ride

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VENUE: Forum Theatre – Ladies Lounge. Forum Theatre – Carpet Room. Forum Theatre – Pizza Room, Cnr Flinders & Russell Sts, CBD DATES: March 24 – April 16 TIMES: 7.15pm TICKETS: $15 – $25

with that wave – of feeling you’re on top of the world when you can. It’s really difficult to make a living in this unstable industry; to integrate real life with a comedy career. But the experience of being uncomfortable also makes you push yourself harder to be funny. Being in a major city in Australia is one of the easiest places to make a career – you have so many opportunities.”

Coming from a large family, Youssef always has a small army of audience members to count on. “They are so supportive, it’s embarrassing. They come to all my shows.

My mum even manages not to fall asleep. At first they were terrified for me when I started to show an interest in performing when I was around 15. I come from a big family: there are eight members of my immediate family and eight million in my extended family. Family always provides a lot of material.”

by Liza Dezfouli

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Venue: Melbourne Town Hall - Backstage Room, Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, CBD Dates: March 24 – April 17 Times: 7pm (Sundays 6pm) Tickets: $20 - $25

BEAT’S MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL 2016 GUIDE BROUGHT TO YOU BY COOPERS

Simon Taylor

Alex Edelman

Human

Everything Handed To You

Renowned for his unique spin on Australian society, Simon Taylor has spent the past year refining his brand new show. Uncovering the world of colliding cultures, Taylor’s latest, Human, is said to explore the humour of existing.

From stand-up to slam poetry, Taylor’s love of language is often the driving force of his performance. A selfconfessed travel-enthusiast, he combines his personal experiences and his passion for the spoken word to create a seriously smart act. “A lot of the show is talking about the power of words, how accents and languages affect how people judge and perceive you and how your identity is linked to how you speak,” says Taylor. “Some people dress a certain way, some people act a certain way – but one of the first things you can judge someone off is their voice and that plays a big role in how we communicate.”

Touching on one of the most integral communication devices of our society, Taylor applauds the influence of the internet and its ability to strip away individual differences.

“It takes out accent and speech patterns and it becomes a streamline of information,” he says. “You’re then forced to actually read what people say and take an opinion outside of that,” he says. “In many ways it’s just a veneer. It’s the icing on the cake of being a person.”

Taylor has always fed off the energy of his audience, and his upcoming shows are no exception.

“I feel like if you want the comedy to emerge from the audience, and to perform comedy based on what makes people laugh, you present them with the jokes and the jokes change based on their reaction,” says Taylor. “It needs to come from them; it’s like playing an instrument as far as I’m concerned – you can’t sit in your bedroom and get good at comedy, the audience is your instrument so you have to go out and practice with an audience.”

From writing for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, to touring overseas and across Australia, the local wordsmith is clearly an avid and experienced performer. Nevertheless, Taylor seems unfazed by people’s expectations and admits that stepping out on stage continues to be a daunting task. “Ten minutes beforehand I’m getting more nervous

and then it just spikes up until the last second,” he humbly reveals. “As soon as I’m on stage I’m happy…I feel free. I realise it’s just the crowd and me now and it’s between us.

There’s no more preparation or discussion. You’re in it now and you’ve got to do – you’ve got to act.”

Clearly, Taylor loves comedy. He provokes laughter with a passion. “It’s that endless obsession,” he says. “It’s waking up every day and thinking about comedy, thinking about your jokes and your ideas”.

Ultimately, Simon Taylor has engulfed himself in all things entertainment, and is in no rush to slow down. “I’ll be in the nursing home doing twenty-minute slots,” he laughs.

“When I look back, I’ve always just wanted to travel and talk, and I get to do that. I can’t imagine being in one place for two long, I can’t imagine having a boss, or a nine to five job, or something where I couldn’t just talk – that’s just who I am, who’ve I’ve developed to be and that’s the life I’ve grabbed by the hand.”

By Phoebe Robertson

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Venue: Trades Hall - The Meeting Room, Cnr Lygon & Victoria Sts, Carlton Dates: March 24 – April 17 (except Mondays) Times: 8.15pm (Sundays 7.15pm) Tickets: $22 - $29

After a daring debut in 2015, Alex Edelman is returning to The Melbourne International Comedy Festival with his brand new show, Everything Handed To You. Said to take things a step further, the New York based entertainer talks us through what’s new, what’s stayed the same and what he finds damn infuriating.

“I’d done more than a hundred shows, so I was exhausted,” Alex explains. “This person literally started barking at me – like a dog. I yelled out, ‘Who was that?’ and someone eventually said, ‘You know how everybody in Edinburgh has an Edinburgh Show? Well his show is him going into other people’s shows and barking like a dog’. It made me so angry.

I grabbed the microphone and my cell phone and I went into the audience. I used the light on my iPhone and I was like, ‘Show your face!’,” he laughs. “There is no good heckle.

People always say, ‘I was helping your show’ – no you weren’t, you were interrupting like an asshole”.

Unlike the barking heckler in Edinburgh, Melbourne audiences and restaurants seem to have cemented themselves as some of Alex’s favourites. “I’ve always liked performing in Melbourne,” he says. “I’m already writing a list of restaurants that I’m going to go to. Ronny Chieng is my culinary spirit animal. We spent half our time in Melbourne going to different food places. Melbourne is like summer camp for comedians. It’s where you go, have an amazing time and do shows every night – it’s so much fucking fun.”

Flying his material to MICF for a second time, the young talent assures audiences that it’s more refined and will bring them in closer than ever before. “This show is a little more personal to me,” Alex shares. “It’s about growing up orthodox Jewish, about my brothers and them trying to find their way in the world. Of course, there’s also a whole bunch of crap about myself. There’s a lot of social commentary included too, but it’s a little more implicit this year. Last year I think some people found it to be too obvious for them. It’s just as political, it’s just as charged, but I think it’s a little less obvious.”

With a noticeable nod to young people of privilege in its title, the show allows Alex to express his opinions on Generation Y and their stereotyped shortcomings. “It

CHARLIE PICKERING

FRANK WOODLEY

HOW TO TAME A WILD SQUIRREL

EXTRA ORDINARY

If you like your comedy whip smart and sharp you simply can’t go past Charlie Pickering’s first solo stand-up show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival since 2012.

In How To Tame A Wild Squirrel, Charlie will ponder the most pressing issue facing the world today – now that we’ve given our lives to the internet, will we ever get them back? Before taking up residence behind various TV desks, Charlie spent ten years travelling the globe as a bona fide world-class stand-up comedian. He honed his craft on the road – developing the smart, insightful comedy he is now famous for.

These three nights at The Comedy Theatre will be a rare chance to catch one of Australia’s most prolific and engaged comedians in a rare appearance away from the cameras.

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VENUE: The Comedy Theatre, Cnr Exhibition & Lonsdale Sts, CBD DATES: March 31 - 14 (Thursday only) TIME: 7pm TICKETS: $39

RAW Comedy National Grand Final After a long series of heats, the RAW Comedy National Grand Final is now imminent. Triple j breakfast host Matt Okine was a finalist back in 2004, having only performed stand-up three times previously – all during the preliminary heats of the competition. Okine, who once cut his teeth in the revered comedy competition, continues to be a massive supporter and ambassador for the event and its importance to the world of comedy.

“It gives people a safe place,” he says. “Open mic nights can be goddamn jungles. I’ve been to pubs where the audience is literally looking at the greyhounds on the screens playing over your shoulder. RAW lets you jump onstage with a group of people who are often giving it their first crack too. The audience is mostly family or friends, or people who actually respect comedy and know how confident – read: deluded – you need to be to give it a go.”

One wonders how Okine, who was 18 at the time, found the RAW experience.

“Terrifying,” he says. “I only told two friends. One I needed to borrow a T-shirt from and the other I wanted to drive so that I could, err, ‘calm my nerves’. It all turned out pretty good though. I ended up winning my heat and ended up in the local paper. Thankfully I was wearing a decent shirt.”

As it turns out, Okine wasn’t the only comedy hopeful who embarked on the RAW journey from an incredibly young age. Plenty of young folk with zero experience enter the heats, which is something that Okine encourages.

“Every heat has at least four or five newbies,” he says.

“And there’s absolutely zero judgment, because everyone else has been there before. You get to sit down with the organisers and MC beforehand, and are given a run-through of how it all works, and where the nearest bathrooms are before your nerves take over and make you

PAGE 26

Frank Woodley fashions comic nonsense from any topic as easily as an origami master turns a sheet of paper into an astoundingly beautiful giraffe, one that’s not anatomically correct (‘cause it’s really hard to make the legs as thin as they should be). Built from funny, it’s in Frank’s bones.

Whether he’s being a comedian, clown, actor or acrobat, he is constantly creating characters and worlds for the audiences who have followed him through more than 25 years of professional ridiculousness. So treat yourself to an evening with one of the country’s most beloved physical comedians — it will be anything but plain ordinary.

stems from the fact people in my generation have had a lot given to them, but it’s not necessarily the stuff that would really equip them for the world,” he reveals. “It’s got nothing to do with scolding Gen Y-ers, it’s really more about trying to expand their world view. A lot of young people have started disregarding very important, useful and conventional wisdom in favour of stuff they’ve read on the internet – which frankly is not the same, credential wise. Common knowledge is common knowledge for a reason.”

By Phoebe Robertson

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Venue: Melbourne Town Hall - Powder Room, Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, CBD Dates: March 24 – April 17 (except Mondays) Times: 9.45pm (Sundays 8.45pm) Tickets: $26.50 - $33.50

VENUE: Melb Town Hall - Lower Town Hall, Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, CBD DATES: March 24 – April 17 (except Mondays) TIMES: 8.20pm (Sundays 7.20pm) TICKETS: $30 – $42

Sarah Millican Outsider

wee more than a 21-year-old who is 14 schooners deep.

There’s nothing to fear.”

The entertainment industry at large is notoriously difficult to break into, and even more so when you start venturing into the realm of niche genres such as comedy. From the outside looking in, the Australian comedy scene seems to be quite tight-knit. I’m curious as to whether there is a lot of support for RAW comedians after the competition has been run and won.

“Of course,” Okine says. “At the end of the day, nobody cares who wins or loses – unless, of course, you win.”

Being a comedy competition, you can expect Okine has experienced some pretty hilarious moments over the years, on and off the stage. It turns out that one of his most memorable recollections involves just a tiny bit of hubris.

“There was a 17-year-old kid in the Queensland final in 2005 and I didn’t even watch his performance because I thought I had it in the bag. Nek-minnit, the 17-year-old kid wins. He turns out to be Josh Thomas. He’s since gone on to destroy at everything he does, so at least my loss was deserved.”

By Tegan Reeves

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Venue: Melbourne Town Hall - Main Hall, Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, CBD Date: April 10 Time: 5pm Tickets: $29 - $39.50

Sarah Millican’s latest tour, Outsider, is all about stepping away from familiar trappings and enjoying the weird and wonderful (provided she has a suitable cardigan. And sensible shoes; that goes without saying). It’s quite a journey from her days as a civil servant to a globe-trotting comedian.

“It is a bit weird,” Millican says. “When I was a civil servant I really wanted to be a writer, so it feels huge that I have achieved this. But I still feel a little overwhelmed when I walk onto a stage and see lots of people who have chosen me as their night out. It feels wonderful. I couldn’t even get invited to parties as a teenager.”

Though not a revelation of side-splitting hilarity, part of Millican’s path to success was a committed work ethos that saw her undertake a variety of classes in refining her writing skills. It’s one thing to be able to drop a joke here and there off the cuff, but for Millican, developing a routine is as much about humour as it is preparation.

“I’ve done a couple of writing courses and workshops. I did a playwriting course a long time ago and still use what I learnt. The workshop I did at the start of my stand-up career gave me lots of skills I use every day. My writing style for stand-up is just to constantly be scribbling. I always have a notebook with me. That way, when I have a new material gig booked in, I just go through my most recent scribblings.

It’s very low-key but constant and absolutely works for me.

I respond to deadlines, but lack of food does not a happy Sarah make.”

Since those fledgling days, Millican has found herself with a recurring guest spot on QI, and scooped enough accolades to break a shelf: Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Fringe, BAFTA nominations, and the 2011 Queen of Comedy at the British Comedy Awards (the actual Queen sends us her best, Millican relays). Outsider is now her fourth touring show, arriving at this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

“I’ve been [to Australia] a few times now and always had a lovely time. Apart from when you trapped me with the ash

cloud, but I suppose technically that wasn’t your fault.

I’m hoping to see some excellent friends, eat all of your delicious food and get some sun on my bones. And if, during my two-week trip, I could hold a koala like a baby, that would be great too. I’m mainly hoping to avoid dying from a creature I didn’t know existed. But that’s the same every time I come. It’s part of the fun. But I carry my slippers everywhere, so no need to worry about that. I’m also a dab hand with a newspaper or weekly magazine.

Good wrists, see. I’m probably going to download lots of pictures of things that kill and memorise their faces.

My problem is I love animals and get excited when I see a new one, so if you see me gently approaching a killer anything with meat in my hand and a kind expression, shout, please.”

By Adam Norris

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Venue: Melbourne Town Hall - Main Hall, Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, CBD Dates: April 2 & 3 Times: 5pm (Sunday 6pm) Tickets: $45 - $49.50

BEAT’S MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL 2016 GUIDE BROUGHT TO YOU BY COOPERS

BEAT’S MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL 2016 GUIDE BROUGHT TO YOU BY COOPERS

PAGE 27

Judith Lucy

Agony Live The woes of modern life can feel daunting, but with guidance from Agony Live, the chaos of the world can be eased with clarity and humour.

The Agony format features a revolving lineup of Australia’s brightest comedy stars.

Creator Adam Zwar helms the format and provides insight into its success.

“It’s very much based on truth,” he says. “I’ll try not to sound too cliché, but I really do like breaking away from the artifice of the performer and getting to know what’s inside their hearts. I think entertainers and performers and comedians are really interesting people and there is something that has got to happen to them in their lives to actually make them want to go down that path in the first place. There are many psychological studies that kind of reflect that.”

Zwar – a journalist by design – formatted the show as a series of intimate interviews with a sparkling array of talent. [I] “felt that we really got to the heart of these people… and found that there was a definite truth about it.” These truths could have the effect of informing other people about their own lives through a variety of narratives, experience and perspectives.

The show has brought together the likes of comedy legends Glenn Robbins, Lawrence Mooney, Fiona O’Loughlin, Dave O’Neil and Jo Stanley – giving the audience advice on everything from falling in love to losing a house. In Zwar’s opinion, the Comedy Festival iteration will allow the panel to move into areas that they otherwise couldn’t in a televised format.

“What the major difference is, in the live version it’s unplugged and uncensored,” he says. “So the live audience will get a sense what the Agony Aunts and Uncles are really thinking. It’s a bit of a privileged, up-close look at the people they love from the show.”

By Julie Carli

Ask No Questions Of The Moth

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Venue: Yarraville Club,135 Stephen St, Yarraville DatesApril 8 & 9 Time: 7.30pm Tickets: $45

She is without doubt one of the best stand-ups this country has produced and if there’s one thing Judith Lucy particularly excels at, its taking life’s vicissitudes and finding the hilarity within that. Or in other words, taking life’s crap and turning it into seriously funny shit. In that regard, what were Lucy’s personal losses in 2014 eventually become comedy’s gain in the form of Ask No Questions of The Moth.

Last year, her Melbourne International Comedy Festival show about her “magnificently terrible” year also won the 2015 Helpmann Award for comedy, so she’s bringing it back for four shows only this festival. Is she just phoning it in this festival? “Pretty much, let’s face it. I’ve never done this before but we thought, ‘Helpmann Award? Let’s see if we can squeeze a few more dollars out of this baby’”.

The poster image for the show features Lucy in a moth costume, which she does not actually wear in the show much to what appears to be the disappointment of many as she has toured the show around the country. “I am in a nice dress and there’s some animation towards the end where I may or may not turn into a moth, but it does seem to have been a mistake that I’m not in the moth costume because people seem to really like that photo of me as a sad alcoholic moth,” she says in her widely adored selfdeprecating way. “So it’s sort of a shame I’m not in the moth costume. Rod Quantock said to me, ‘Clearly you should be dressed as an insect in every show from here on in’, so lookout, next year I could be in a praying mantis costume.”

So is this her mid-life crisis show? Lucy doesn’t think so. “I think my mid-life crisis show was maybe every show. I think I just spread the crisis out over my career in comedy. 2014 wasn’t so much a crisis year as a stressful, horrible year.

Obviously, I don’t just get up on stage and weep,” she says.

She was making her second TV series, Judith Lucy is All Woman for ABC, which she says was a stressful experience.

“My body kind of fell apart,” she laments. “Then virtually overnight I was hit with menopause and my brother died. It was just that trifecta really.”

But it isn’t all grief and despair. “Within all of that I talk about everything from why we are eating and drinking kale

DAVE THORNTON

SHIRALEE HOOD

SO ON AND SO FORTH

ROCK THE BOAT

Hi, I’m Dave and this is my new show. My last one was heaps of fun, I think this one will be too. The previous one sold out. That sounds like bragging but I don’t know any other way to explain to you that audiences seemed to like it.

I’m also the Dave in Fifi and Dave, a radio show that happens in Melbourne 6-9am weekdays on Hit 101.9 The Fox. I get up at 4.30am everyday. Am I a hero? Draw your own conclusions (I’m not).

I’m only touring domestically this year but I’ve done gigs in Edinburgh, Montreal, South Africa and lots of other places that require a long haul flight. In conclusion I really like doing stand-up comedy and if you come and see me, I reckon you’ll have a good time.

Australia’s number one Aboriginal female comedian and the hottest new comedian in the Hood: clever, cheeky, charming and challenging. You’ll rock with laughter.

Sometimes you gotta tell it like it is – if you haven’t been told by Shiralee, be prepared to be schooled in the most hilarious way. Shiralee Hood has been rockin’ rural, remote, urban, community, corporate and festival audiences around Australia for five years. She takes comedy and culture into prisons in Victoria and the ACT, has travelled to China and New Zealand for culture and traditional dance, and appeared with Circus Oz and their BlakFlip program. Most recently, Shiralee has been performing on a national tour with the sensational new Aboriginal Comedy Allstars. Don’t let this show sail on by... hit the deck and Rock the Boat with Shiralee at the 2016 Melbourne International Comedy Festival!

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VENUE: Max Watt’s, 125 Swanston St (opp Town Hall), CBD DATES: March 24 – April 17 (except Mondays) TIMES: 7pm (Sundays 6pm) TICKETS: $26 – $39

I’VE DONE SOME BAD THINGS

PAGE 28

by Joanne Brookfield

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Venue: The Comedy Theatre, Cnr Exhibition & Lonsdale Sts, CBD Dates: March 26 – April 3 (Saturdays and Sundays only) Times: 7pm (April 2 5pm, Sundays 4.30pm)

VENUE: Victoria Hotel – Acacia Room, 215 Lt Collins St, Melbourne DATES: March 24 – April 17 TIMES: 6pm (Sundays 5pm) TICKETS: $19 – $22

THE 5:30 SHOW

ASH WILLIAMS Promoting a festival show can be tough. There’s more than 500 shows performing during this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and acts have to do whatever they can to be noticed and entice an audience.

To help fill his venue, Ash Williams says he’s going to offer vodka shots to readers of Beat.

“Free vodka shots for any Beat readers, that’s a promise that I can follow through on. Just yell out, if you’re a Beat reader, yell out ‘I’m a Beat reader’ and I will come over and feed you a vodka shot like a bird feeds its own,” he says.

Given Williams’ show is called “I’ve Done Some Bad Things”, it might be prudent to not invest too much stock into this promise. What Williams is definitely going to deliver on, however, is his first solo show for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Williams will be familiar to sports fans as he recently hosted the online @7tennis show as part of Channel 7’s coverage of the Australian Open. He’s also appeared on shows like Peter Helliar’s It’s A Date, ABC’s In Gordon Street Tonight with Adam Hills, The Daily Edition, The Project, Studio10 and Dirty Laundry LIVE. Williams was working in commercial radio with Hughesy and Kate when he decided to pack up life in Melbourne and head to LA a few years ago to pursue stand up and acting. He says he had a “modicum” of success, scoring guest roles in Anger Management, The Exes, and You’re The Worst while also gigging regularly over there.

He’s come back every December and performed an hour long show, making I’ve Done Some Bad Things his fourth show, but this marks his festival debut. “Bad, as a word, is quite open to interpretation,” he says of just what exactly he’s been up to and will be talking about.

He says in LA he managed to get himself banned from Motel 6 (“it’s called that because that’s its score out of 100”), he’s been banned from Budget (“I can’t hire a car from Budget in Australia”) he’s just spent the last four months living in a hotel (“one month turned into four”) and he’s just broken up with his girlfriend. “I’m in a

to the fact you can buy peppermints for your vagina, so there is something for everyone,” she says. “I do dance with maracas, so there’s some joy in there. And when I talk about menopause, I actually read out a list of menopause symptoms while dancing to Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On, so I feel that I’ve made menopause sexy.”

There was also a positive development in her life that year. “I do also talk about the fact that one of the things that made 2014 less shit is that I met someone. I go into the fact that I’m a cougar,” she says. Fate’s wicked sense of humour has seen to it that she’s been mistaken for her boyfriend’s mother and if you want to hear her spin that into comedy gold, these shows are your last chance in Melbourne. “It has changed a bit. Obviously some dead wood has been gotten rid of and a few new stories are in there...its towards the very end of the run, only three more shows after Melbourne and then I’m putting this baby to bed”. Flock like moths to a flame while you can.

custody battle over a nutri-bullet at the moment,” he says.

“I’ve got some stories and then I’ve got a song, I play a bit of piano, I bring the whole thing together like a Thermomix of goodness, but it’s in a song,” he says of the show. “And worst case scenario you might take away some life tips.

I’ve got some stuff in there about how you don’t need to pay credit cards, so I’ve got a theory about credit card management. I mean, I can’t get credit cards anymore, but look, I know how to deal with them...”

by Joanne Brookfield

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Venue: The Swanston Hotel Grand Mercure - The Downstairs Lounge, 195 Swanston St, CBD Dates: March 24 – April 17 (except Mondays) Time: 9pm Tickets: $15 - $25

In its fourth year at The Melbourne International Comedy Festival, The 5:30 Show is an epic collaborative work staring Harris Stuckey, Danny and Andrew Bensley, Josh Glass, James McMahon and of course, Shahed Sharify. Tackling the tough questions first, Shahed hesitantly reveals, “Yes, it’s true – every year we have a 4:30 show on Sunday.”

“We all have quite different styles,” he says. “I tend to tell a lot of shorter jokes with an angry tone, a critic of society type edge. There’s personal story telling, Danny and Andrew do quite a bit of that, there’s some surreal and absurdist humour that Josh and James do, and Harris is observational.

It’s a general comedy showcase. Essentially, we are all doing our stand-up comedy sets, but inbetween we do a collaboration or a small sketch, just to vary things up.”

In particular, Shahed is said to turn towards subtle societal conventions that make us naturally humorous and, well, human. “You don’t want to be talking about hipster culture and chai lattes all the time,” he explains. “Enough people do that already. There’s such a rich breadth of human experience that you can draw on that there’s no need to stick to trendy stuff.”

“I do a critique of society. Recently, I’ve been doing this bit about how hard people try to relate to each other, desperate for acceptance. It makes you say and do ridiculous things. I do it too but for instance, I was at the physio and he looked at my form and said ‘Shahed – where’s that from?’ I said ‘It’s from Iran’ and he said ‘Oh yeah, our new intern is from Bosnia’. We have a tendency to quickly find a common point of interest, even though it’s so far removed. ” Remarkably, the tight-knit group rarely find themselves overlapping their material, ensuring the showcase is dynamic, diverse and direct, just like its featured talent.

“We go to a bunch of gigs through the year – we do our own sets and we have our separate writing process, so we know what each other’s material is,” says Shahed. “If you work with people throughout the year then you tend to find your own niche. Obviously we have an MC throughout the night, the person that loves banter with the audience and the one’s that’s the biggest attention seeker – it’s usually me,” he laughs.

Clearly committed to comedy, the six young stand-ups provide a space for those looking for a fresh, local spin

on society with an inexpensive price tag. “We aim to be the best value show in Melbourne and provide the most amount of laughs for cheap as chips tickets, like it’s $15 – you’d struggle to get anything that cheap.”

By Phoebe Robertson

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VENUE: Melbourne Town Hall - Backstage Room Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, CBD DATES: March 24 - April 17 TIMES: 5.30pm (except Sunday 4.30pm) TICKETS: $12 - $15

BEAT’S MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL 2016 GUIDE BROUGHT TO YOU BY COOPERS

BEAT’S MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL 2016 GUIDE BROUGHT TO YOU BY COOPERS

PAGE 29

Stephen K Amos

BRIAN POSEHN Brian Posehn’s comedy is pretty hard to sum up, but the following anecdote does it better than any journalistic ramblings could. Skip this paragraph if you’re planning to go to his show in the Melbourne International Comedy Festival though. You’ll spoil it for yourself should he do this bit on the night.

“My son is nude a lot. At six years old, he’s naked all the time. I was playing Bark at the Moon, Ozzy classic, and my son ran from the other side of the house and said ‘Daddy!

Weiner solo!’ and then did air guitar with his six-year-old body. That was one of my proudest moments as a dad.

Nudity and Ozzy Osbourne, I totally approve.”

Though not specifically a ‘metal comic,’ Posehn’s comedy has always incorporated his interests, be they metal, Dungeons & Dragons (check out his D&D podcast Nerd Poker), comic books or good old-fashioned whackin’ it.

But his love of metal seems crucial to his existence, and he’s been working on a comedy metal album with producer Jay Ruston, Brendon Small (Metalocalypse) and Scott Ian (Anthrax). The record also includes Gary Holt (Exodus and Slayer) on a song called Satan is kind of a Dick. “I had the idea that heavy metal always talks about how great the devil is, and hell is, but what if when you get to hell it’s not so great and they don’t play Slayer there? So the chorus is: ‘They don’t play Slayer in hell, they don’t play Slayer in hell’ with the guy from Slayer playing on it.”

Posehn’s playing five dates in Australia (Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney), with most venues leaning more towards a club vibe than a theatre. “That’s what I do a lot in the states,” he says. “I do play comedy clubs over here and I do do theatre shows, but I do a lot of standing-room rock clubs too, so to have me in a club like the Corner Hotel makes total sense to me. Those shows are always awesome.” At this point Posehn isn’t sure what form his act will take, other than “whatever makes sense, whatever will make the most fun hour performance.” He’s already worked up a half-hour of new stuff that wasn’t on his most recently recorded, soon-onNetflix special, and he expects to generate new material while travelling around Australia. And on his time off you might spot him undertaking an AC/DC pilgrimage, checking out AC/DC Lane or Swanston Street locations

The Laughter Master

from the “Long Way To The Top” video, or visiting Bon Scott landmarks in Perth. It ties in nicely to his greater mission as a parent: “I’m trying to raise a metalhead so I play a lot of AC/DC and Sabbath every day, to give him a nice foundation.”

BY PETER HODGSON

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VENUE: The Corner Hotel, 57 Swan St, Richmond DATE: April 15 TIME: 8.30pm TICKETS: $45

KUAH JENHAN

WHAT WOULD SPOCK DO?

LIKE THIS LIKE DAD After headlining last year’s sell-out hit Comedy Zone Asia, the fastest rising star of the Malaysian entertainment scene, Kuah Jenhan, hits Melbourne International Comedy Festival with his debut solo show in Australia. It’s a hilarious and heartwarming observational dig at the generation gap, and the cocktail of love and cringe that is having a Dad. Hailing from Kuala Lumpur, Kuah Jenhan is a regular feature on Malaysian radio, TV, feature films and local improv and stand-up scenes. He is also a humour columnist for Esquire Magazine.

Stephen K Amos is hot and bothered when we speak. He’s been in Adelaide for the Fringe Festival for the past month, and the city has been sweltering with through a heat wave.

“I don’t know how you people live in such amazing conditions, I’m dripping and more moist than I’ve ever been in my life,” he states. It’s just one of many observations of Australian life that has earned Amos his reputation here in Aus. Known for his charming and relentlessly feel-good performances the world over, Amos’ observations about Australian culture – from our accents, to our politics and to the tram in Adelaide that only goes from the city to the beach that so infuriates him – have helped local audiences see the funny side of things that otherwise seem perfectly normal.

“I think having an outsider’s point of view gives you a unique perspective,” says Amos. “There’s certain things I see that I then highlight, and people will go ‘oh my goodness, we didn’t see it like that at all.’ But that’s my job, to find the funny.”

Being an outsider seems to give Amos a distinct advantage.

“There are also certain things I can get away with and say that maybe some Australian comics couldn’t.” He elaborates: “I do a routine about some of the things people say, where they think they’re being polite – even though it’s quite outrageous.”

This year, Amos and his observations return to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival with The Laughter Master, a show that promises to be everything Melbourne audiences have come to love about the British comedian.

The show finds him delving deep into serious issues, finding the light-hearted side and leaving audiences entertained and thoroughly upbeat.

“If I talk about packaging on a Chicos bag, and talk about how that can be construed to be quite racist, I’m talking about very serious issues, but in a very light-hearted way,” says Amos, discussing his style.

“They’re very different, serious topics to what others discuss – I don’t have the background to make mental health funny, for example – but all of us have our serious topics that we challenge in our own way.”

For The Laughter Master, Amos has focused his comedic lens on perhaps the defining issue of our time – social media.

Ubiquitous, influential and a seemingly unending source of

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VENUE: Forum Theatre – Ladies’ Lounge, Cnr Flinders & Russell St, CBD & Forum Theatre – Pizza Room, Cnr Swanston & Collins St, CBD (April 6) DATES: March 24 – April 17 (except Mondays) TIMES: 8.30pm (Sundays 7.30pm) TICKETS: $19 – $24

An uplifting Edinburgh hit comedy about falling in and out of love, Star Trek and learning to accept who you are – no matter how much of a loser it makes you. Gary Thompson used to be a massive Trekkie, but now he’s just one of the lads. All this is set to change when a new girl appears at work, sporting a Spock haircut and a Star Trek badge. Should Gary confess his now-secret love of all things Enterprise?

Or will his fear of once again being a social outcast get the better of him? A year after the world paid tribute to the life and career of Leonard Nimoy, this new show asks the most important question of all: what would Spock do?

debate and conflict, Amos says the subject was ripe for comedic picking.

“It has made the world smaller, but in the same respect, it’s given people a very strange voice. Or it’s made people think they have a voice, and have very silly arguments with strangers over nothing at all... The internet is 25 years old this year, and you know, there are so many things going on online that are quite dangerous.”

While his subject matter has serious undertones, Amos says he hasn’t forgotten his true purpose, evident in the title of his show.

“I want to make people laugh. I’m hoping my kind of audiences have kind of got my sensibilities, so I want them to think along the way, but also have a good time. It’s not a TED talk, I’m not doing a serious documentary, so I must never forget my focus being laughter.”

By Alexander Darling

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VENUE: Athenaeum Theatre, 188 Collins St, CBD DATES: March 24 - April 10 TIMES: 7pm (Sundays 6pm) TICKETS: $36 - $46

VENUE: ACMI – Cube, Federation Square, CBD DATES: March 24 – April 17 (except Mondays) TIMES: 7.15pm (Sundays 6.15pm) TICKETS: $25 – $30

VELVET

Ciel #hangover “I’m sitting at home and I’ve already cracked an afternoon wine, is that wrong?” Ciel asks down the phone. Well, not if your show is called #hangover. The stand up comedian is at home in Copacabana beach, on the Central Coast of New South Wales. “I’m on the Savi-b. I’m told Savi-b is over and it’s all about the SSB. I thought we were moving in a Pinot gris kind of direction and I wasn’t a fan. I’ll be honest. Not. A. Fan,” she says for comedic effect.

Despite performing for more than 15 years now, #hangover is the first solo show Ciel has performed as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Gigs elsewhere around the country, TV writing commitments plus close to a decade on breakfast radio in NSW have kept her away, but she’s looking forward to having a drink with her audiences. Literally. “My show does contain alcohol,” she says. “There is an opportunity to partake in a beverage.

I do recreate a drink from my past that everyone gets to try,” she says. Having already warmed up this show in both Perth and Sydney, she says it’s a good bonding moment in the show. “We all had a drink together and I personally think the show gets a bit funnier after that,” she laughs.

Ciel believes everyone has one of ‘those’ drinks from their past that has scarred them for life and that is one of the topics she explores in this show. “I think if you talk to everyone, everyone has a drink they will never ever drink again and usually a fantastic story to go with it,” she says. She shares the tale of that drink for her (clue: it’s a cocktail that comes with its own theme song) and also talks about a variety of aspects linked to the main topic.

“Some of it is about when I used to work in a bar, some are hangover stories, some are the reasons why we have a drink,” she says. Coming from Sydney, where the lockout laws are having a major impact on nightlife, Ciel says she also briefly touches on some of the more serious side as well. But, she stresses, the show is about having fun.

Describing herself as “more cautionary tale than a role model”, Ciel says she has plenty of moments “where the ladies will be going ‘oh my god, that was me’ or ‘oh my god I remember doing that’ or ‘oh thank god, someone

PAGE 30

is worse than me!’” To that end, she also covers teenage memories, love gone wrong and dating horror stories. “It is a really good girls’ night show,” she says. “I have some girly stories about dating, I also delve into the ex-files.” However, she points out, “a lot of guys have come to my show and had a very good time also.”

Given it’s her first solo show in Melbourne, what would she like readers of Beat to know? “It’s fun, please bring everyone you know or even people you might just have walked past once. It does contain alcohol and I’m interested to hear your stories as well.” If you’ve ever had a hangover, then you’ll probably have a story for Ciel.

By Joanne Brookfield

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Venue: Melbourne Town Hall – Lunch Room, Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, CBD & Forum Theatre – Carpet Room, Cnr Flinders & Russell Sts, CBD Dates: April 4 – 17 Time: 8.30pm (Sunday 7.30pm & Mon 6.45pm) Tickets: $15 ­­- $25

Prior to hitting the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, the cast of Velvet has been honing their skills across the globe. A disco-cabaret featuring some of Australia’s best stage and musical talent along with a host of burlesque, dance and circus performers, the spectacle is set to quite literally soar.

This hedonistic extravaganza, led by the inimitable Marcia Hines, has already been garnering awards, and as singer/ performer Brendan Maclean and aerialist Emma Goh explain, the Coopers Malthouse season is certain to have people dancing in the aisles.

“What I love about shows like this is that the audience is so close,” Goh grins. “They can see everything that passes over your face, so you have to be on your toes. Sometimes when you’re on a stage that’s miles away, you can kind of get away with pulling a couple of strange faces and nobody will notice, but here, they can see everything! You need to be mindful.

But it means you can interact with them a lot more, you have these moments where you’re connecting with different people, which makes it a much more intimate experience.”

“That’s the funny thing about live performance,” Maclean agrees. “As much as you are emoting, far more important than having tears rolling down your cheeks or whatever, is making sure you don’t fall head over heels into the front row, which most of us has done at least once. This show has a lot of action, there’s a lot of lights, a lot of technical aspects. You have to be careful you’re not being kicked in the head by a passing aerialist.”

He laughs. “You have to know every inch of the stage, you need to know what the backup singers are doing twenty feet away, you have to know there’s rigging there above you, and it’s only going to get more intense. We’re adding things that didn’t exist when we started in Adelaide, it’s going to be an incredible spectacle. Hey, you might get knocked out, but at least it looks impressive!”

Between the two of them, they’re certainly bringing a wealth of disparate talents. Goh has travelled the world as a dancer, from stadium shows to intimate venues, and the musicality of her movement is astounding. Maclean is also no stranger to varied success, swinging between presenting on Triple J, featuring in Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby, to his own burgeoning music career. Velvet will see the pair incorporate

the full sweep of their talents, honed through years of practice, success and setbacks.

“Performing has become really competitive these days as well,” Goh admits. “Because there are so few jobs out there, you always need to be pushing yourself. These days it’s really important to have some ground skill that you can do, so you’re always working on increasing the acrobatic ground-based stuff you can do, and quite often that will help with what you do in the air. I’ve done a lot of cabaret work, but this show is different and I’m just loving every moment of the ride. I’m sort of the sassy party girl, which is fun. I get to have a bit of attitude. It’s such a great cast, it’s so much fun to be a part of.”

“I come into Velvet as a very lost little boy who doesn’t have an outlet for his sexuality or performance,” Maclean explains. “For me, Velvet really is about that. It’s promoting the individuality that I’ve struggled to balance with my performance. I was always terrified to use my real voice on Triple J for fear of getting hundreds of texts saying, ‘You faggot’. And I mean, you really do get those texts. Or performing at the Landsdowne and wanting to dress up and be myself on stage, and getting torn apart for it. For being myself, for being theatrical. For being a lover of queer culture and the queer community. So this show perfectly reflects my own journey, where finally, this character comes into themselves and opens up to so much love and success.”

By Adam Norris

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Venue: The Coopers Malthouse - Merlyn Theatre, 113 Sturt St, Southbank Dates: March 23 – April 17 (except Mondays) Times: Tuesday – Thursday 7.30pm, Friday 7pm & 8.30pm, Saturday 5pm & 8pm, Sunday 5pm Tickets: $49 - $89

BEAT’S MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL 2016 GUIDE BROUGHT TO YOU BY COOPERS

Whitmer Thomas

Jude Perl Part Of This Complete Breakfast It’s a familiar story: a musician writes a few songs, works hard to increase their exposure, but then hits a wall. What comes next is a frustrating limbo between pushing hard down the same path and finding new avenues leading to success. Jude Perl has lived and breathed this story. After five years working as a jingle writer at The Sugar Co., she knew she had to branch out in order to fulfil her passions.

It paid off and she’ll soon release her debut album via SugarHope Records.“They’d been stringing me along for about five years, and now they’re finally releasing an album of my stuff,” she says. “Basically, because I’m blackmailing them with a photo I took of a health inspector at one of the factories in Guatemala being bribed. So now they’re making my album.”

While one wonders what Perl was doing in Guatemala in the first place, it’s not about the journey, it’s about the destination. This brings us to Perl’s current status – despite managing to land a record deal, working with The Sugar Co. hasn’t been as smooth as hoped. “They liked the jingles I wrote, but all of the songs that I tried to release musically they said they weren’t sexy enough,” she says. “I wrote songs about human rights and they asked ‘Could you make it more sexy?’ I told them ‘Well I can, but doesn’t that detract from the message?’ I think that’s really the kind of demographic that they were kind of going for. I suspect it’s more about them wanting more songs about summer and the beach and hanging out, and less about being gassy or being lonely or eating your feelings.”

Clearly there was a major disparity between Perl’s artistic intentions and the expectations of the record’s suspicious financers, but she worked out a compromise. “A lot of the songs are about how advertising is really bad and sugar is really bad. All they wanted was for me to put their ads on the album for their products,” says Perl. “But ignore the ads, because what I’m trying to say is ‘don’t let advertising manipulate you’. Then you have to listen to a jingle, but ignore the jingle – don’t let advertising manipulate you. You got to take what you can get. This

was the best I could do.”

The strange circumstances surrounding Perl’s forthcoming album are enough to label her a sell out. She’s had to come to terms with this fact. In many ways Perl sees it as more than just a means to an end. “I’ve heard the words ‘sell out, you’re living a lie, you’re a disgrace to music and arts’ and I see what people are saying. For a little while I struggled to look at myself in the mirror, but you have to see it as selling up. I’m giving hope to so many young artists around by saying you can make your dreams come true as long as you’re ok with compromising all of your values in order to get your music released. If you’re happy to do that, then you’re home free. That’s my message – all young people who get into performing should be able to see that you can be a complete stooge and do something that keeps people asleep whilst making music that you love. Selling out – I used to hate that term, but I say thank you to anyone who says that. I take it as a compliment.”

Thomas Brand

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Venue: The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Pl, CBD Dates: March 23 – April 17 (Wednesdays & Sundays only) Time: 10pm Tickets: $25 - $32

Whitmer Thomas peaked when he was three years old. “I was as hot as hell,” he says down the phone from Los Angeles. “I was a hot three year old, which is why this guy wanted me.

I was a gooood-looking three year old,” he emphasises in his southern drawl.

Thomas is talking about one of the stories he tells in his stand-up act, about the time he was abducted by a stranger as a child. “When I was a kid, I was three years old and hanging out in my kitchen, and a man broke in and kidnapped me and luckily my dad saved my life. It turned out this man had been watching me since the day I was born, really. Anyway, I’m ok now and he went to prison but I tell a funny story about it,” he says.

Thomas was raised in Alabama, in a tourist town called Pleasure Island. Fortunately, nothing happened to him (“it was only like one minute, he grabbed me out of my house and ran down the street with me...and my Dad attacked him”) and so was able to go on and have a relatively normal childhood, where skateboarding was one of his main passions.

However, like many kids being raised on Californian culture he felt the lure of Los Angeles and moved there 10 years ago, originally intending to pursue an acting career.

“After a few years I found myself drifting, maybe due to cynicism, into comedy and kind of making fun of everything and I found those types of people much easier for me to be around. That’s kind of where I made myself a home, was doing comedy, doing stand-up, performing that way.

Although I still do love acting, but it’s mainly comedy where things have started to happen for me,” the 27-year-old says.

In LA, he’s the co-creator of the comedy collective Power Violence and voices a part in the animated series Stone Quackers, which he says is based on his life and that of his writing partner Clay Tatum. He’s making his Melbourne International Comedy Festival debut this year as part of the Headliners show, which showcases North American talent.

He’ll be performing at the Melbourne Town Hall alongside Beth Stelling, Mark Forward and Sarah Tiana for the first half of the festival.

Growing up in a small town has shaped the stand up

EMILY TRESIDDER

SUREN JAYEMANNE

crazy is

Wu-Tang Clan Name Generator

What is it that really makes us human? Sure, we have opposable thumbs, but, as Emily Tresidder points out (strangely, using her thumbs), it’s more likely the fact that we can define things as crazy. But, even with the help of our thumbs, do we actually know what the term really means?

Emily Tresidder explores ‘the Zen of Crazy’ and the myriad of things that have come to be characterised by the peculiar word in Crazy Is. Emily’s deep understanding of the word will captivate you, or at the very least, make you wish you had gone to the loo before the show.

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VENUE: Forum Theatre – Carpet Room and Forum Theatre – Pizza Room, Cnr Flinders & Russell Sts, Melbourne.

Melbourne Town Hall – Lunch Room, Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, CBD. DATES: March 24 – April 3 TIMES: Forum Theatre: 6pm (Sundays 5pm), Melbourne Town Hall: 8pm TICKETS: $15 – $25

Touted as a hot new act to watch by two of Australia’s major Comedy Festivals (MICF & SCF), but none of Australia’s major intelligence authorities (Border Force doesn’t technically count as ‘intelligent’), Suren Jayemanne brings his second solo show to MICF, Wu-Tang Clan Name Generator. Packed with more of his signature witty wordplay and topical observations on multiculturalism in Australia.

In 2015 Jayemanne debut solo show Eat Praline, Die was selected for the Sydney Comedy Festival’s FRESH program for the best emerging artists, extremely well received by audiences and critics alike. This came merely a year after the comedian was picked for the prestigious Comedy Zone, a showcase of the best five up-and-coming acts from across Australia. Described as “charming and engaging” (SBS) and

by Joanne Brookfield

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VENUE: Melbourne Town Hall - Lower Town Hall, Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, CBD DATES: March 24 - April 3 except Monday TIMES: 9.45pm (8.45pm Sundays) TICKETS: $28 - $36

“fucking hilarious” (Daily Review), he is at once goodnatured and provocative, his irreverent nature representing a diverse and emerging voice in Australia.

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VENUE: Belleville, Globe Alley (Off Lt Bourke St), CBD DATES: March 22 – April 2 (except Sundays) TIME: 7:15pm TICKETS: $18 - $23

AKMAL

Demi Lardner Life Mechanic

KEEPIN’ IT REAL

After emerging from Adelaide as a teenage stand-up wunderkind, Demi Lardner has spent the first part of her twenties making a name for herself in her new home of Melbourne. In that time, she’s been on both the giving and receiving ends of advice – plenty good, but even more bad. “The worst advice that I’ve been given recently is that you can clean your toilet using Coke,” says Lardner.

“That is such bullshit! I tried it, and now my bathroom just smells of Coke. There is absolutely nothing behind it – all those life-hack websites telling you about it can go get fucked!”

The quirky comic is throwing every last bit of advice – for better and for worse – that she’s accumulated over the years into her latest hour of stand-up, Life Mechanic, a follow-up to her debut Birds with Human Lips. Debuting at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Lardner says that the origins of the show idea were entirely circumstantial. “It’s something that I just fell into, really,” she says. “I give great terrible advice, I think. I just seem to give everyone the best advice that I would never take myself. Half of the show is some slightly decent advice, and the rest of it will be the kind of shit that will get you into far more trouble than you should. It’s very misguided, but it’s knowingly misguided.”

Lardner has had ample opportunity to dish out all kinds of advice on her podcast, We Are Not Doctors, which she co-hosts with fellow fearless weirdo (and housemate) Bart Freebairn. Across the course of roughly a half-hour, Lardner and Freebairn riff on one another’s life events, answer listener questions and even share bits and bobs of philosophy – Lardner herself has a segment in the show entitled Demi Has the Wisdom, in which she waxes lyrical on whatever topic may come to hand.

“Doing the podcast has actually been the best practice for this show,” she says. “I’ve gotten a lot of material out of it, just from the back-and-forth between Bart and myself. He’s obviously way more experienced than me, and he’s been doing it for such a long time. He’s been one of my best friends in comedy ever since I started out – he hosted my second-ever gig, actually. Living together,

Akmal Saleh is fresh from the jungle and back on the road this month, to bring his unique brand of humour to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. The always candid comic opens up about his time in the wilds of South Africa, a newfound addiction to reality TV, his new show about nothing and a dream of making a classic Aussie film.

Saleh was the second person voted out of this season’s I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here, and according to the reluctant reality star, it wasn’t a moment too soon. “It was such a stressful experience for me,” he says. “That show suits some people and not others. A lot of people said to me ‘C’mon, you should do it’, because the producers had asked me the year before as well, and I thought ‘Ah, this isn’t for me at all’, I didn’t even consider it, but then I thought, ‘I shouldn’t think like that’.

“So I went and signed the contract, and I still hadn’t watched the show,” he laughs. “Then three weeks before I hopped on the plane I thought ‘Oh, I should really check this show out’, and then I watched a couple of YouTube clips, and I thought ‘Oh, yeah, that looks like fun . . .” Saleh pauses for effect.

“But honestly, people watching it on TV have no idea the full extent of the tension, the starvation and the manipulation that goes on in the camp. It’s not for the faint-hearted, I really admire the people that could do it for six weeks, my god! Two weeks was the maximum for me. But I became addicted to the show, because they had become my friends. I found myself running home to watch I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! It was surreal.”

Perhaps Saleh has been spending too much time in front of the box lately, because he readily admits he is still working on new stand-up material with just over a week to go till his run of shows kick off on April 5. “Unfortunately, I’m quite lazy,” he says in a playful tone. “But in my defence, I wasn’t even sure if I was going to do the festival or not because of all the other things happening, so I let it slip for a while and now, I’m kind of panicking trying to write a full hour, and it’s really tough. I’m scrambling for material, that’s what my show should be called!” Saleh jokes.

“At this stage to be honest with you it’s probably going to

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material he’ll be presenting here. “I mainly talk about myself, my upbringing. I talk a lot about Alabama, where I’m from, my family, you know, people I’ve seen on the street – I really like that part of LA, it’s what drew me to it in a way. I grew up skateboarding in Alabama watching videos of everybody in California and I just always wanted to be here and so I guess my stand-up is from that perspective, of a relatively wide eyed naive person from a very small town in Alabama in the big city trying to acclimate myself, trying to adjust.”

And what has that culture-shock been like for him? “In your imagination you have what Hollywood is going to be like and then you get there and discover there’s only about two blocks of that, and the rest is just fucking crazy people shitting in Carl Jnr’s parking lots”.

as well, makes it super easy to put together – we can just venture into the lounge room and knock one out whenever we please.”

Lardner is now making plans for the rest of the year, with hopes to further tour Life Mechanic and get her advice out there on a global scale. “I’m hoping to do Edinburgh Fringe again this year,” she says. “I’ve been really enjoying the process of this show. Every other year that I’ve been doing comedy, I’ve been simply too stressed to actually properly enjoy it. I’ve stressed so much; it’s given me ulcers. With this show, I just want to keep on doing it for as long as possible.”

By David James Young

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Venues: Melbourne Town Hall ­– Backstage Room, Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, CBD & Victoria Hotel – Vic’s Bar, 215 Lt Collins St, CBD Dates: March 24 – April 17 (except March 28 & April 4) Times: 8.30pm (7.30pm Saturdays & 6.30pm Mondays) Tickets: $18 - $26

be a big chunk of last year’s show,” he continues jokingly.

“So if you’ve seen last year’s show don’t come! Unless you’ve got a terrible memory, if you’ve got a memory problem, then came and it will be all brand new.”

Scrambling or not, Saleh is a very talented man. He has conquered radio, film and T.V, published a memoir (Life of Akmal 2012), and more recently turned his hand to documentary film making (Pharaoh vs. the Egyptians 2013) which saw him return to Egypt, his birth place, six months after the revolution to chronicle the events that led to millions of Egyptians (most of them under the age of thirty) deciding to risk their lives in order to protest against decades of oppression and a brutal regime. “It won best film at the Bryon Bay Film Festival. I can tell you it’s the one thing I’ve done in my career I’m most proud of.” he says, “but before I shuffle off this mortal coil, I want to do a another comedy film, something that’s memorable – just a really good Aussie film.”

By Natalie Rogers

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Venue: The Athenaeum Theatre, 188 Collins St, CBD Dates: April 5 – April 17 (Except Mondays) Times: 9.30pm (Sundays 8.30pm) Tickets: $30 - $39

BEAT’S MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL 2016 GUIDE BROUGHT TO YOU BY COOPERS

Khaled Khalafalla

Aunty Donna

Jerk

New Show

Khaled Khalafalla’s show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival is called Jerk, though his friendly and insightful demeanour certainly seems to contrast this.

Having talked about everything, from race to relationships in the past, Khalafalla’s newest routine has evolved alongside him and explores fresh territories.

“This show is broader,” Khalafalla says of Jerk. “It represents where I’m at with my thinking. I started comedy when I was 21 and had a lot of questions about my own race and identity, and how I fit in. On the outset, it kind of looked like a gimmick but it was just that time in my life. Last year’s show was all about relationships, my grandmother and mortality. This year I talk a lot about drugs and sport.”

On the topic of drugs, Khalafalla confesses he was once a dedicated weed smoker, which quickly steers the conversation toward Australia’s anti-drug campaign. The one that features the infamous stoner sloth. “That was the best thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” laughs Khalafalla.

“Then it got eaten alive. I think people enjoyed taking the piss out of it, without giving it much credit. Here’s the thing, it really struck a chord with me, because that’s what I felt like every time I smoked. It makes you exactly like that. I think the whole backlash was because it was perceived to be treating people like they were stupid. The thing is though, you’re targeting people who are waking up at 3pm, eating cereal and watching cartoons for eight hours.”

Back to the topic of his new project Jerk, Khalafalla describes further facets of his performance: “There’s more about relationships and why I don’t like going to clubs any more. Coming of age stuff. I’m 27 now and it’s that scary time, where every year is a countdown to 30. I’ve been thinking a lot about my own work ethic and the things I’ve done wrong from 20 to 25, which includes drugs and stupid things. I’m starting to play a lot of sport and look after my health. There’s still some stuff about race. That will always be an undertone. I talk a bit about filming some stuff in Afghanistan and entertaining the troops.

And how it was weird that essentially, I looked just like a

“Sorry, did you think you were talking to Aunty Donna?”

Once you’re left to your own devices when going up against Broden Kelly, Mark Bonanno and Zach Ruane – AKA Aunty Donna – there’s no telling where on earth you’re going to end up. This particular curveball is thrown by Ruane, revealing: “You’re actually on loudspeaker at the Queensland Young Liberals meeting. We will not be taking any further questions regarding silly skits or funny little jokes, thank you.” Very well – what do you propose to do about the cane toads? “We’re going to fight them,” proposes Bonanno.

“We’re going to use our X-Men powers to take them on – and we’re going to win.” Ultimately, this type of rapid-fire absurdism is what one should expect from speaking with Australia’s most popular surrealist comedic troupe. There’s no mention of any of their current projects – their web-series 1999 or their aptly titled new show, New Show – instead, the trio relay an onslaught of ridiculous tangents, riffing off each other for 20 minutes straight. Take, for instance, the information that the trio will be headed to visit Dreamworld as soon as the interview is finished. This leads, naturally, to asking after the kind of dreams that the three of them have.

“I tend to have really vivid dreams about people close to me in my life eating me,” says Kelly. “For instance, the other night I had a dream that Zach came into my room and started eating my foot.”

Bonanno chimes in: “To be fair, that did actually happen.”

Ruane then explains himself. “I mean, it wasn’t anything aggressive,” he proclaims. “I was kind of doing it more in a playful way.” As for what Bonanno dreams of? “My dreams tend to involve sick rides and tigers, so luckily all of my dreams are about to come true.” Kelly leaves the interview on a positive, albeit backhanded note. “Y’know, when I’m waiting for a coffee in the city, and I’m looking for something to read, I look over and pick up this nice little magazine where I can read about all the cool bands. Do you know what I’m referring to?” Let’s see... Rolling Stone?

“That’s right,” says Kelly. “That’s all I’ll ever read. The rest are all fucking arseholes. You can print that.”

lot of the guys they had pictures of, that were targets. That was funny to me.”

When comparing the Australian comedy scene to that of America, Khalafalla says: “There are a lot more comedy clubs, per square mile, in the US. It’s a more inherent part of culture. You can go to a cinema, a comedy club or on a picnic as one-of-three pretty on-par activities to do. While here in Australia, you might suggest a cinema or a picnic but when you mention a comedy club, they say: ‘Oh, that’s exotic!’ It’s different.”

Learning through his experiences on stage and off, Khalafalla describes his development as a comedian with a succinct analogy: “Have you ever torn a muscle when you’re working out? The whole thing is tearing your muscle a tiny bit, until it gets to a point where it doesn’t hurt anymore. If you want to get better, it has to keep hurting.”

By Bel Ryan

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Venue: Trades Hall - The Meeting Room, Cnr Lygon & Victoria Sts, Carlton Dates: March 24 – April 17 (except Mondays) Times: 8.15pm (Sundays 7.15pm) Tickets: $22 - $29

NATH VALVO Sold out shows, five-star reviews and countless laughs.

Each describe the life of comedian Nathan Valvo – last year’s Happy Idiot, now back, happier and idiotier.

Returning from a season at London’s Soho Theatre, Tongue in Cheek will have its big premiere at this year’s festival.

This time around Nath will be taking on everything from his dysfunctional family to foodies from ‘90s suburbia, gym junkies and Tinder. As heard on Nova FM. As seen on The Project and ABC’S Dirty Laundry.

the city of love

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VENUE: Melb Town Hall - Portico Room, Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, CBD DATES: March 24 – April 17 (except Mondays) TIMES: 9.45pm (Sundays 8.45pm) TICKETS: $20 – $28

PAGE 34

Tegan Higginbotham (Oddball, Holding The Man and Have You Been Paying Attention?) hits Melbourne International Comedy Festival for her tenth consecutive year to bring you a joyous dose of stand-up in The City of Love. A show about Paris, cake and the difficulties we face as adults when we actively decide to chase our dreams. As a teenager, Tegan had three life goals: to fall in love in Paris, to get married and have kids by 25, and to be an action movie star. And boy has none of that happened! Can Tegan re-do some of her life mistakes and get her dreams back on track? Or is it time she gave into the inevitable and started buying an unreasonable amount of cats?

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VENUE: Greek Centre, Aphrodite’s Room, Cnr Lonsdale & Exhibition Sts, CBD DATES: March 24 – April 3 (except Monday) TIMES: 7.15pm (Sundays 6.15pm) TICKETS: $25 – $30

ALICE FRASER THE RESISTANCE

Life On The Couch (with Vodka) Author of the viral and utterly hilarious Bachelor Recaps, Rosie Waterland has followed up her debut memoir, The Anti-Cool Girl, with her first ever live show – debuting at this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

“It’s a true mixed bag,” says Waterland. “From foster care to disaster Tinder dates. It’s about me pulling my life together before turning thirty.” There’s an endearing fearlessness to the way Waterland self-dissects her life and experiences. It’s a prime reason the sharply honed wordsmith has been labelled Australia’s answer to Lena Dunham. It would be too simplistic, however, to simply say there’s no filter. It’s rather Waterland’s endeavour to embrace life with open arms – the good and the bad – that makes her flawed presence relatable, and purposefully believable.

After finding fame through writing, live performance represents a new creative venture for the multi-talented comedian and writer. However, in contrast to authoring tongue-in-cheek Bachelor recaps, My Life On The Couch (with Vodka) takes a decidedly more informal approach.

“I’ve never done live on-stage comedy before,” she says.

“But, really it’s more storytelling. It’s entertaining with serious stuff.” The glaring difference between the two creative forms is the presence of a real-life audience. It’s a new challenge that excites Waterland; the immediacy and fluid nature of interacting with a crowd is a fresh communicative tool for the performer, another way to connect with her audience. “I hope a sense of camaraderie emerges,” she says.

With a devout online following living vicariously through her every word, it already seems as though this has been achieved. Winning over crowds on the live stage, a forgone conclusion – she’s already added a second date to her list of comedy festival shows after the outpouring of support for her first was so large. Waterland’s story is an inspiring one, indicative of a comedian gifted with the ability to find laughter in the toughest of times. Will that translate though to her live show? “The show will make us all feel

by David James Young

TEGAN HIGGINBOTHAM

tongue in cheek

Rosie ‘Bachie Recaps’ Waterland

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Venues: Max Watt’s, 125 Swanston St, CBD, Melbourne Town Hall - Lower Town Hall, Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, CBD & Roxanne - Band Room, 2 Coverlid Place, CBD. Dates: March 24 – April 15 (except Monday March 28 and Monday April 11) Times: 8.15pm at Roxanne (7.15pm Sundays), 8.30pm at Melbourne Town Hall, 9.45pm at Max Watt’s Tickets: $20 - $30

better as a whole,” she says. With such infectious humour, it’s a certainty.

By Julie Carli

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Venue: Yarraville Club, 135 Stephen St, Yarraville Dates: Friday March 25 – Saturday March 26 Time: 8.30pm Friday, 7.30pm Saturday Tickets: $34.70 - $44.70

Alice Fraser left her life as a corporate lawyer to pursue a career in comedy. This year she’s bringing her new show The Resistance to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival to spread the good vibes.

“I think I always knew it wasn’t for me,” says Fraser, pondering her previous career. “But I wanted to give it a proper go, because wouldn’t life be a lot easier if you suddenly realised you loved working in a prestige job in a fancy corporation? I thought there might be a niche for me there, but there definitely wasn’t. I think there were a few moments every day where I thought ‘that’s it’, but I was looking at my pay slip and thinking ‘all I want to buy is that time back’”.

Like many comedians, Fraser’s love of comedy is has been with her a long time. “I always loved comedy, but never thought of it as a career,” says Fraser. “I don’t even know if I understood the concept of a comedian being paid, which is good now that I’m actually living that dream. I think being a comedian is less a desire than it is a compulsion”.

It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for Fraser. She’s had a few interesting experiences while performing her craft.

“I was in a Law Revue, where at dress rehearsal one of the lead performers showed his penis to a cast member in the stairwell. She was quite traumatised and the executive had to pull him out of the show. That was quite intense, learning parts at the last minute and switching things round.”

Though she’s quite humble about it, Alice Fraser has seen quite a lot of success in her career thus far. “The problem with achievements is once I have them, I immediately dismiss them and start looking for the next thing. I think it mustn’t be that good, after all, they gave it to me, and I’m an idiot. Like the reverse of impostor syndrome, as though the whole world is faking it, which it kind of is.”

Fraser identifies as a feminist and often discusses sex, vanity and what it means to be sexy. “Sex is funny and messy and intimate and weird,” laughs Fraser. “Packaged and commodified sexiness is trying to make sex serious and worthwhile and important. It’s not. Basically, vanity is dumb, we’re all getting older and dying, and if you pin your identity to something as ephemeral as sex appeal, you’re

setting yourself up to fail by your own terms. Worse, if you take your ideas of what’s sexy from something other than your own sex-parts and partners, you’re setting yourself up to fail by other people’s terms as well. It’s just dumb… and funny.”

For her show The Resistance, Fraser is taking on a number of themes that hit close to home, “Humanity, houses, childhood, morality, my mashup Buddhist-Jewish-Catholic upbringing, post-war trauma, sexiness.”

By Bel Ryan

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Venue: The Forum Theatre – Ladies Lounge, corner Flinders St & Russel St, CBD & The Forum Theatre – Pizza Room, corner Flinders St & Russel St, CBD Dates: March 24 – April 17 (Except Mondays) Times: 7:15pm (Sundays 6:15pm) Tickets: $15 - $25

BEAT’S MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL 2016 GUIDE BROUGHT TO YOU BY COOPERS

COUPLES! “ .. tightly written and performed per semi-naturalistic comedy with hilarious moments .. Direction is precise and pacing terrific .. Much awarded .. Nothing not to love here ..” he AUSTRALIAN STAGE

LUISA OMIELAN Reuben Kaye

Bugle Hue Blanes Boys

Am I RIght Ladies?!

Unplugged

A Salute Hue Blanes to And the Andrews The Moon

Much of Reuben Kaye’s career up until now has consisted of getting audiences to feel comfortable watching other people take their clothes off. The Australian Cabaret star’s talents for singing, dancing and dry, risque humor have made him one of the most in-demand MCs for Burlesque and variety festivals across Europe. These engagements, and his solo shows in London and Berlin, have earned him a reputation as an arresting, flamboyant performer with a knack for dry humor, sequined outfits and finding beauty in tragedy – and vice-versa.

You’d think, given his unique experience commanding crowds, and given he first performed at the MICF 10 years ago, he’d feel prepared heading into his show Plugged. But Kaye says the differences between comedy and cabaret audiences will keep him on his toes.

“I think audiences in Melbourne, especially the comedy festival audience, are even more discerning, even more focused and with even higher standards, because they’re very experienced in comedy.

“And I have a late-night timeslot, so the audience will probably be thinking, ‘Alright, entertain me now: So yes, I think the audience will be a lot more demanding, and that’s a little terrifying. But you know, like sex, it’s better when there’s a little bit of terror.”

Kaye, 31, began his cabaret career in Melbourne, where he studied musical theatre and built a repertoire for his own show.

“I was always the freak in class – I was always the one singing the filthy song, and they’d be there going, “Reuben can’t you just do something from Candide?” But that never interested me,” he recalls.

His career took flight when two producers in Melbourne saw one of his showcases, and he toured around Australia.

One night he saw a burlesque show and loved it. What happened when he went back the following evening would change the course of Kaye’s career.

“The MC didn’t show up – there was an accident or something – and my friend who was running the burlesque show said, ‘Reuben, you’d be good at this, put on a tux and come’. So I did, and now I’m here.”

Kaye’s kinky humour and slight self-deprecation stay with him even when he’s not in character, and these qualities have no doubt shaped his upcoming show.

Plugged promises to be an hour-long spectacle in which Kaye delves into his past and his psyche, to find how and when he went from being Reuben Krum – son of a German ballet dancer and a Russian artist – to his current persona as a ‘purveyor of dry humor and wet dreams’.

Though it’s a structured show with a beginning, middle and end, Kaye says the improvisation that defines his MC work will still feature heavily.

“It’s what I’m best at,” Kaye says. “Thinking on the run is

DAVE CALLAN It’s a trilogy. Jess Quinn (Australia’s Got Talent) and Emma Russell (Tokyo Disneyland) join Dave Callan in the most upbeat show of the festival: A Little Less Conversation 3: Even More Less Conversation. Come laugh at a large viking pulling off dance routines that his body was never designed to attempt, all the while taking it all a little too seriously.

Commended as a “whirlwind of a show that brings constant chuckles” (The Scotsman) and a “break from punchlines and one-liners” (Herals Sun).

VENUE: Trades Hall - New Ballroom, Cnr Lygon & Victoria Sts, Carlton DATES: March 24 – April 17 TIMES: 9.45pm (Sundays 8.45pm) TICKETS: $15 – $28.50

Australia, it’s time. It’s time for a new leader, a new name and a new set of balls. It’s time to become the world’s newest superpower – Anzakistan. And who better to run it than Heath Franklin’s Chopper, declared by The Sunday Mail as “Australia’s funniest comedy character.”

Chopper may not have any experience, but at least you know where he stands – right behind a moustache. Now is the time to say ’Yes we can’. Call in sick for work because you’re hungover? ’Yes we can’. Tracksuit pants to a job interview? ’Yes we can’. Can you stop at the bottle shop on the way over? ‘Yes we can’. Citizens of Anzakistan, stand as one, and rejoice. Your benevolent dictator is here.

VENUE: Athenaeum Theatre, 188 Collins St, CBD DATES: March 23 – April 3 TIMES: 9.30pm (Sundays 8.30pm) TICKETS: $30 – $38

PAGE 36

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Venue: The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Place, CBD Dates: April 5 - April 17 (except Mondays) Time: 10pm Tickets: $28 - $38

By Phoebe Robertson

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Venue: Batty Patty, 24 Bennetts Lane, CBD Dates: March 30 – April 17 (except Mondays, Tuesdays) Time: 7pm Tickets: $20

BABY Becky Lucas is a writer, comic, has a powerful allegiance to Twitter, and was described by Karl Stefanovic as a “bloody weirdo.” She was a grand finalist at RAW Comedy, handpicked for The Comedy Zone and has opened for Joel Creasey, Wil Anderson and Jerry Seinfeld (before their falling out).

After a successful debut of her solo show at Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Becky Lucas is ready to bring forth her second attempt. It’s unsuitable for those with a red rummy face and wraparound sunglasses. For everyone else, however, it will be a bubbly treat of no-fuss punchlines and genuine laughs.

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VENUE: Victoria Hotel – Acacia Room, 215 Lt Collins St, CBD DATES: March 24 – April 17 TIMES: 7.15pm (Sundays 6.15pm) TICKETS: $15 – 25

YETI’S DEMON DIVE BAR

CHOPPER’S REPUBLIC OF ANZAKISTAN

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By Alexander Darling

one song with a punch line.”

All jokes aside, Hue Blanes And The Moon will be held in brand new, slightly used, secret venue – Batty Patty. “It used to be home to a lady with like twenty cats,” Hue discloses. “I think she was affected by toxoplasma, which I think is a cat disease where the cats attract you by a chemical in the brain. It’s opposite the Jazz Club and it’s now a groovy little art space – just imagine one of those trendy-artsy-warehouse kind of places. I’m going to bring my grand piano in from the church into the space and lots of other pyrotechnics – a tape recorder and perhaps some grapes, maybe some wine, and away we go.”

BECKY LUCAS

A Little Less Conversation 3: Even More Less Conversation

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my favorite thing in the world, and if anything, when things happen in the show it’s better if they happen by accident.”

“I love looking a million dollars, but no one wants to see someone who looks successful be good at things. You want to see someone who looks a million dollars, but is secretly a hot mess inside – a tall-poppy syndrome sort of thing.”

It’s quite obvious that Kaye’s draw card as an act is that he performs his comedy through burlesque – “I’m the sparkliest thing at the whole festival,” he proclaims.

So what is it about burlesque that Kaye finds so useful in creating comedy?

“Sex is funny, I think we all know that deep down. Everyone attaches a lot of importance to sex, so I think talking about it freely helps people see that funny side they don’t often think about.”

A man of mystery, Hue Blanes has given little away about his upcoming show in the Melbourne International Comedy Festival – until now. Based in Melbourne, the virtuoso pianist is set to blend melancholy musical arrangements with a serious spin on casual comedy.

Still indecisive about what tone he wants the night to take, Blanes is more than happy to allow his audience to decide for themselves. “I guess it’s whatever you want it to be,” says Blanes. “The truth is, even in some of the serious songs, people are laughing. I pretty much did the same set Friday and Saturday night up at Nannup Festival, the first gig I did in a nervous, kind of funny way and it got heaps of laughs – it was almost like a comedy act. The second night I did mostly the same songs, just a little bit more serious as opposed to funny and witty, no one laughed, but people loved it.

“It’s one of those things with comedy, people can go away not having laughed but really enjoyed it anyway, or they could go away having laughed the whole show and at the end of it go ‘Oh yeah, that was okay’. Some of my favourite comedy is quite black – there’s an English guy called Matt Berry, he was on The Mighty Boosh’s first series. There are no jokes like ‘Here, laugh at this’, but they’re just funny. I don’t know if anyone can really describe or define comedy.

Comedy is to one person what tragedy is to another.”

In terms of comedic content, the singer/songwriter has created a satire-soaked show that is sure to impress. A natural born storyteller, Blanes’ attention to detail and emotive appeal cements him as a truly entertaining talent.

“I tell a story about being on Tinder,” he laughs. “It’s really tragic, I’m always on it and I just scroll and there’s a picture of my [fictional] wife. There’s another story about having multiple personalities and calling myself different names. At the end of the song a lot of ex-girlfriends get named, having ganged up on me and they want to kill me.”

Still leaving some things to the imagination, the Melbourne act will have his audiences delving deeper into his anecdotes than ever before. “I wrote an album called Holiday a couple years ago that is coming out in April this year. It was all about me, all the stuff that’s going on in my mind,” explains Blanes’. “Now, I’m doing songs about characters, they might be real or might be fictional – you have to guess.”

While Blanes is clearly open-minded in regards to the comedic aspects of his show, he certainly possesses an underlying desire to balance out the genre of musical comedy. “You’ve got guys like Tim Minchin and Sammy J who are quite funny and quite musical – but mostly just funny,” he explains. “I want there to be a musical element to it. I want the audience to feel something musically, as well as just hearing jokes that are pandered to them. There’s maybe

Raucous and vivaciously risqué cabaret is the bread and butter of this multi award-winning comedy duo. Harnessing the weird and wonderful spirit of the Rocky Horror Picture Show and The Mighty Boosh, Yeti’s Demon Dive Bar flies in the face of what constitutes a regular comedy routine.

As seen on BBC3, ABC2 and NBC America, Melbourne audiences can expect inventive, otherworldly characters, relentlessly catchy songs, and to be consumed by the alternate universe that exists within the strangest little dive bar in town. It’s all brought to life by the creative minds behind the internationally acclaimed EastEnd Cabaret – Jennifer Byrne, Vicky Falconer-Pritchard and Tom

Velvick. While every character – from an overly enormous yeti and bar owner, to a sleazy severed head, and the Psychedelic Nuns – are played by the same two performers.

Salacious songs, razor-sharp wit, and a madly fascinating storyline make for an unforgettable comical experience.

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VENUE: Roxanne – Two, 2 Coverlid Place (off Lt Bourke St, btw Russell & Exhibition Sts), CBD DATES: March 24 – April 17 (except Mondays) TIMES: 9.45pm (8.45pm Sundays) TICKETS: $20 – $27

BEAT’S MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL 2016 GUIDE BROUGHT TO YOU BY COOPERS

Blake Everett

in

c e n i s I w y a d s a 5 e R

7pm Thu, Fri & Sat March 24-April 9 Verve Studios

DAVID QUIRK

SARA SCHAEFER

APPROACHING PERFECTION

HEADLINERS

Approaching Perfection is the new film by award-winning director David Quirk. It’s about Triple M: morality, mortality & music. I’ts a thorough collection of the finest ideas and material he could muster, written and wrangled into shape on location in Midwestern towns and cosmopolitan American cities, during a three-month sabbatical spent with bemused patrons. He dragged them through mud for his audiences, endeavouring to create a work depicting both literal and figurative darkness. This show, like Quirk himself, is approaching perfection.

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What’s next for a performer who has already worked alongside everyone from Amy Schumer and John Oliver to Hulk Hogan and Aretha Franklin?

In her Australian debut, LA-based comic force Sara Schaefer promises to delight with skilfully-constructed storytelling and witty observational humour. Sara has won Emmy Awards for her work writing with Jimmy Fallon, been named as one of USA Today’s ‘100 People of the Year in Pop Culture’ and hosts MTV’s late-night show Nikki & Sara Live.

Sara will be appearing at the festival as part of Headliners, which is bringing together the best comedy North America has to offer in an epic showcase of glitz and glam, and American stardom.

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VENUES: Roxanne - Parlour Room downstairs, 3,2 Coverlid Place (off Lt Bourke St, btw Russell & Exhibition Sts), CBD, Roxanne – Downstairs, 2 Coverlid Place (off Lt Bourke St, btw Russell & Exhibition Sts), CBD DATES: March 24 – April 17 (except Mondays) TIMES: 8.30pm (Sundays 7.30pm) TICKETS: $20 – $30

COUPLES!

VENUE: Melbourne Town Hall – Lower Town Hall, Cnr Swanston and Collins Sts, CBD DATES: April 5 – 17 (except Mondays) TIMES: 9.45pm (8.45pm Sundays) TICKETS: $29.50 – $36

IVAN ARISTEGUIETA’S CHORIZO SIZZLE

An original, fly-on-the-wall style production, Couples! is a slice of country comedy gold starring all regional performers.

Four vastly different, yet relatable couples, descend on the peaceful country setting of the Paradise Valley Couples Retreat for a weekend of relationship therapy. Sharing their stories and situations, events unfold to explore their relationships warts and all, giving the audience a glimpse into their private worlds. Will the couples survive counselling, or will the cracks that develop be too deep?

Based on real-life events, the production focuses on realistic relationships and explores the universal themes of commitment and love. Under the guidance of their councillors, the couples interact to reveal their issues, with the aim of strengthening their individual unions, resulting

JOSHUA GLANC

in some touching moments, many comical situations and surprising revelations.

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VENUE: National Theatre, Cnr Barkly & Carlisle Sts, St Kilda, The Last Jar 616 Elizabeth St, CBD DATES: March 29 – April 2, March 12 – 16 TIMES: March 29 – April 2: 8.30, March 12 – 16: 7pm TICKETS: $20

Australia’s favourite Venezuelan is cooking up a feast for anybody who loves their comedy with a side of chorizo in Chorizo Sizzle. A ball of energy on stage, dancing, cajoling and having a blast, Ivan Aristeguieta will be your next favourite comedian.

Already voted Best Comedian in South Australia, he was recently handpicked by the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival to perform at the Sydney Opera House. And now that he’s been made a permanent resident, he turns up the heat on Aussie food, flavours and traditions. So sit back, relax and let Ivan take the tongs as he combines his two passions: comedy and cooking.

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VENUE: Melb Town Hall - Portico Room, Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, CBD DATES: March 24 – April 17 (except Mondays) TIMES: 7.15pm (Sundays 6.15pm) TICKETS: $20 – $28

EM RUSCIANO

99 SCHNITZELS (VEAL AIN’T ONE)

NOT A DIVA

Last year’s smash hit show 99 Schnitzels (Veal Ain’t One) returns in 2016, showcasing Joshua Glanc’s unique brand of sketch and physical comedy. Named one of the “top shows” to see at the Melbourne Fringe Festival (Herald Sun), and earning Glanc praise as one of Australia’s “emerging talents” (The Age), the frenetic nature and diverse character acting in this one man show is compelling, and widely entertaining.

Growing up, Em had a simple dream: to be the first person to win an Olympic gold medal, an Oscar, a Tony and a Grammy.

Now at the spritely age of 36 she can’t even crack an invite to the Logies let alone a nomination. She has also had to accept that she may never be Taylor Swift or Beyoncé and that the only time-appropriate Diva left is Susan Boyle.

If you’ve ever sung into a hairbrush and dreamt big but now can’t even be bothered wearing a G-string, this is the show for you. Em is finally ready to talk about Australian Idol and accept the truth: Em Rusciano is Not a Diva.

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VENUE: Melb Town Hall - Old Met Shop, Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, CBD DATES: March 31 – April 3 TIMES: 6pm (Sundays 5pm) TICKETS: $19 – $23

SAMMY J & RANDY LAND Fresh from their hit ABC TV show, Sammy J & Randy have borrowed three million dollars and opened a theme park.

What could possibly go wrong? It’s a brand new theatrical adventure from the Winner of the Barry Award 2010 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and everyone’s favourite skinny/purple duo. Please note, the petting zoo is closed due to quarantine restrictions and the fortune-teller is under police investigation. A wild ride is guaranteed. To find out just how wild, will require your attendance.

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VENUE: Athenaeum Theatre, 188 Collins St, CBD DATES: March 29 – April 3, April 12 – 17 TIMES: March 29 – April 3: 9.30pm, (Sunday 8:30pm), April 12 – 17: 7pm (Sunday 6pm) TICKETS: $30 – $42

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VENUE: Palais Theatre, Lower Esplanade, St Kilda DATES: April 8 and 9 TIME: 9pm TICKETS: $45.65

Tim Batt VOTE BATT Tim Batt has enjoyed five-star reviews from both Keeping Up With NZ and Craccum Magazine, is a podcasting superstar on The Worst Idea of All Time, and one of New Zealand’s most outrageously funny comics.

He’s also sick of the world, with politicians the source of his pain and misery. So he’s running for office. What office? It doesn’t matter. He only asks that you join the revolution. If he’s successful, there will be happiness, liberty and psychedelic drug experiences for all. A series of political rallies will begin in the 2016 Melbourne International Comedy Festival under the guise of a comedy show. It’s called Vote Batt and welcomes your attendance, and so too that of your friends and family.

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VENUE: Caz Reitops Dirty Secrets, 80 Smith St, Collingwood DATES: March 27 – April 6 (4 shows only) TIMES: 7.30pm TICKETS: $5

BEAT’S MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL 2016 GUIDE BROUGHT TO YOU BY COOPERS

NISH KUMAR

NICK CODY

Everyone has an opinion about Nish Kumar’s comedy: ‘a comedian on the up’ (The Times, UK), ‘a comedian I’ve never heard of’ (Audience Member) or ‘a very clever boy’ (Nish Kumar). His stand-up comedy show Long word…

Long word… Blah Blah Blah… I’m So Clever is one for the purists. In other words, it’s suitable for fans of stand-up comedy.

He’s a UK radio regular, and you may recognise him from his appearances on Comedy Central’s The Alternative Comedy Experience and Stand Up Central. Or, quite possibly you just sat next to him at Nando’s. Either way, Nish Kumar is an unequivocally smart, polished and satirical comic well worth getting to know.

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come get some Nick Cody is bringing his sweet red beard and a brand new hour of hilarious stand-up back to Melbourne in 2016 with Come Get Some – the culmination of seven months spent touring the world.

After selling out the Australian tour of his previous show Beard Game Strong, Cody spent the last half of 2015 overseas playing to packed houses in Edinburgh, New York, Los Angeles, Johannesburg, Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia; racking up four and five star reviews without breaking a sweat.

He didn’t stop there either, with a TV credit list that reads like a shopper docket. Cody was seen on Network Ten’s Opening Night Comedy Allstars, ABC TV’s Please Like Me, Just For Laughs on The Comedy Channel and Seven’s Kinne.

And now he’s back to spill his world-tour spoils on the stand-up stage. From shacking up with his girlfriend within one week of returning home, to discovering his ancestral home in Ireland - and in a Cody-ised version of Who Do You Think You Are - realising your heritage is more impressive than you are. Cody is a Comedian that leaves you with an overwhelming feeling of familiarity, like you’ve known him for a lifetime. For that reason alone, he can’t be missed.

VENUE: Melbourne Town Hall – Old Met Shop, Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, CBD DATES: March 24 – April 17 (except Mondays) TIMES: 8.30pm (7.30pm Sundays) TICKETS: $26.50 – $33.50

ALEX WILLIAMSON

mel buttle

Open Up

UP TO PUSSY’S BOW

No one knows the real Alex. International philanthropist?

Depressed soul? Is he simply a typical Aussie bloke?

Luckily for us, Alex prefers a room full of strangers over a psychiatrist’s chair when it comes to outpouring his most degenerate thoughts and hilariously farfetched interpretations of this f**ked up world.

The burgeoning comedian is going from strength to strength, starring in his first feature film – the creatively titled Me And My Mates Vs. The Zombie Apocalypse – and already achieving cult status, selling out seasons at all major Australian comedy festivals and Edinburgh Fringe.

His social media following isn’t too shabby either, with over 2.5 million subscribers and hundreds of millions of views. He’s the man that brought us classic clips like ‘Loosest Aussie Bloke Ever’ and ‘The Worst Thing In Australia’. Open Up is his latest musical, multimedia spectacular.

Since being nominated for Best Newcomer at Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2010, industry folk have been scrambling to work with Mel both on and off the stage. She’s had guest spots on shows such as ABC TV’s It’s A Date and Backseat Drivers, has written for ABC TV’s Please Like Me and even produced two podcasts with Patience Hodgson, the singer of Brisbane band The Grates.

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VENUE: Melbourne Town Hall - Portico Room, Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, CBD DATES: March 24 – April 17 (except Mondays) TIMES: 8.30pm (Sundays 7.30pm) TICKETS: $22 – $29�

HARLEY BREEN

VENUE: Athenaeum Theatre, 188 Collin�s St, CBDe DATES: March 25 – April 2 (Friday & Saturdays only) TIMES: 10.45pm TICKETS: $35

ADAM RICHARD

Smell the Penguins

SPLITSECONDISM

Smelling the roses is so last year. It’s time to Smell the Penguins with Harley Breen. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to step inside the mind of a dickhead… It’s good in there. He actually doesn’t know much, but he’s an award-winning comedian performing his 10th MICF. That’s a decade of stupid. Harley fills a brand new hour with tips and tricks to life that you never thought you needed – because you really don’t need a single one. He also implores you to buy a ticket. It’ll be the closest thing you’ll find to a unicorn farting a rainbow. Just don’t forget to stop and smell the penguins.

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A show about bludgers, beavers and badly translated tattoos. The allegedly fabulous Adam Richard is regularly witnessed cracking people up on Spicks and Specks or Outland, or heard on Talking Poofy cracking jokes alongside Scott Brennan and Toby Sullivan. Now he’s back at the comedy festival with Splitsecondism, an hour full of incredibly useless facts that “Will have you howling with laughter” (Adelaide Advertiser).

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VENUE: Melbourne Town Hall - Old Met Shop, Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, Melbourne DATES: March 24 – April 17 (except Mondays, April 6) TIMES: 9.45pm (Sundays 8.45pm) TICKETS: $20 – $32

VENUE: Imperial Hotel, Cnr Bourke & Spring Sts, Melbourne DATES: APRIL 5 – 17 (Except Mondays) TIMES: 8pm TICKETS: $20 – $28

HONOR WOLFF & PATRICK DURNAN SILVA

NEEL KOLHATKAR

cull

Neel Kolhatkar has captivated audiences with insightful, hard-hitting material ever since he was a teenager, garnering a one million-strong fan base and tens of millions of hits across social media. Don’t let age and Internet stardom fool you, though, as this master of the live craft produces a multitude of accents, incisive wit and a disarming charisma that has audiences in palm of his hand.

Kolhatkar’s hilarious commentary on topics ranging from youth, media, gender and race, coupled with impressions, crowd-work and a dynamic stage presence all promise pure entertainment. Catch Kolhatkar as he stops by on his way to becoming a comedy megastar.

Highschool bestie – Unfriend. Ex-lover – Unfollow. Razor Blade Theatre Company – Unlike. Grandmother – Block.

Beach Body Challenge – Like. Message to Genevieve – Seen. In the s�ocial media world run by #istaqueens and #vinekings, we find ourselves looking at our flabby thighs and thinking “should I go to Europe?” Honor and Patrick cull their Facebook friends, one bitch at a time in Cull.

PAGE 40

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VENUE: ACMI – Beyond, Federation Square, CBD DATES: March 24 – April 17 TIMES: 9.45pm (8.45pm Sundays) TICKETS: $20 – $30�

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VENUE: The Owl and the Pussycat, 34 Swan St, Richmond DATES: April 9 – 16 (except Monday) TIMES: 7.30pm (Saturday 6pm) TICKETS: $26 – $28

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VENUES: Melb Town Hall - Powder Room, Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, Melbourne, Roxanne - Band Room, 2 Coverlid Place (off Lt Bourke St, btw Russell & Exhibition Sts), Melbourne DATES: March 24 – April 17 TIMES: Roxanne: 7pm (Sundays 6pm), Melbourne Town Hall: 4.30pm TICKETS: $18 – $27.50

BEAT’S MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL 2016 GUIDE BROUGHT TO YOU BY COOPERS

AN ODD

JOB 7:15pm 23 March & 2 April 9:45pm 5, 7, 9, 14 & 15 April Highlander Bar

The Renegades Presents 7 Simple Life Lessons with lexi & Lilith

Highlander Bar 7:15pm 25, 29, 31 March & 1 April

Downstairs Lounge @ The Grand Mercure

9:45pm 7, 9, 14, 17 April BEAT’S MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL 2016 GUIDE BROUGHT TO YOU BY COOPERS

PAGE 41

COREY WHITE

JOSHUA GLANC & OLIVER WATERS

THE CANE TOAD EFFECT Due to popular demand Corey White returns to Melbourne with his multi award-winning show, The Cane Toad Effect.

White sifts through the wreckage of a broken home, mental illness and failed love, delivering an hour of sparkling standup comedy that cuts through woe to find the beautiful heart of life. This is a show that affirms the power of the human spirit and the glory of being alive.

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OVERFLOWETH This year Josh teams up with his long-time collaborator Oliver Waters to tell the story of a boy named Joel muddling his way through adult life alone (with the help of an enchanted water cooler). Through the use of music and song Waters and Glanc interweave moments of subversive social observation in amongst their silly coming-of-age story.

Wa�ters’ ‘manic comic energy’ (Daily Review) helps thrust this new show into dangerously absurd territory; while Glanc brings to the table the same cleverness seen in his critically acclaimed 99 Schnitzels (Veal Ain’t One). Brimming with characters, music and physical comedy, Overfloweth will seek you out and hold your gaze for longer than is deemed appropriate.

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VENUE: Forum Theatre – Downstairs, Cnr Flinders & Russell Sts, CBD DATES: April 12 – 17 TIMES: 7pm (Sunday 6pm) TICKETS: $20 – $30

VENUE: The Tuxedo Cat, 293-299 La Trobe St,

CBD DATES: March 23 – April 5 (except April 30) TIMES: 9.45pm (Sundays 8.45pm) TICKETS: $10 – $20

TROY KINNE

wil anderson Fire at wil

KINNE: THE BIG LITTLE THINGS

In September 2015, after two years of non-stop touring, criss-crossing the globe, Wil returned to Australian TV as host of the ABC’s smash hit Gruen. After ten weeks on the small screen Wil is back onstage, smashing up mic stands, working his craft and constantly challenging himself and his audience. Wil is one of the most consistently excellent stand-up comedians of his generation. So do yourself by seeing this world-class act.

Troy Kinne is best known for his appearances on Have You Been Paying Attention, and writing, directing and performing in his own sketch comedy TV show KINNE. Work, which saw him nominated for a Logie. See the mind behind the show that focuses on the ‘big’ little things, not scared to err on the side of edgy.

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VENUE: The Comedy Theatre, Cnr Exhibition & Lonsdale Sts, CBD DATES: March 23 – April 17 (except April 7) TIMES: 8.45pm (Sundays 6pm) TICKETS: $34.90 – $54.

VENUES: Swiss Club, 89 Flinders Lane (btw Russell & Exhibition Sts), CBD, Roxanne - Band Room, 2 Coverlid Place (off Lt Bourke St, btw Russell & Exhibition Sts), CBD DATES: March 24 – April 17 (except Mondays) TIMES: Swiss Club: 9.45pm (Sundays 8.45pm), Roxanne: 7.15pm (April 17) TICKETS: $25 – $30

LEHMO

THE MR G SUMMER HEIGHTS HIGH SINGALONG

WAR, MARRIAGE AND PUPPY LOVE

Relive the story and songs of your favourite drama teacher on the big screen. What do Maria von Trapp, Mary Poppins and Mr G have in common? They’ve all given fans the chance to perform their iconic songs onscreen in singalong theatre events. Hosted by Alex Dyson (triple j), the event will create an endless stream of excitement for audience members as they get to re-experience the original series up on the big screen, sing along to the songs from Mr G: The Musical and more.

“Who wouldn’t want to see Mr G up on the big screen, shout out quotes and sing the songs from Mr G: The Musical with your friends. I’d do it but it seems a bit narcissistic to quote yourself,” says Chris Lilley. It shall be an arena spectacular.

Dressing up, dancing and laughter are encouraged.

You may have seen Lehmo on Working Dog’s hit show Utopia or Have You Been Paying Attention, on The Project or even Just For Laughs. You may have heard him on the Gold 104.3 breakfast show. Or you may have read him on twitter.

Now you can see Lehmo live as he dishes up another hour of hilarious stand-up. Laugh along as Lehmo effortlessly dissects his own life, your life and manages to find the comedy in everything else from the war in Iraq to the puppy in your house. Hence the show’s title – War, Marriage and Puppy Love.

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VENUE: Melb Town Hall - Powder Room, Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, CBD DATES: March 28, April 4, 11 TIMES: 7.15pm TICKETS: $22.50 – $30

VENUE: The Comedy Theatre, Cnr Exhibition & Lonsdale Sts, CBD DATE: April 2 TIMES: 3pm & 10.15pm TICKETS: $34.90

SAM SIMMONS

THE BEAR PACK

NOT A PEOPLE PERSON From the brain that brought you millionaire cats eating Viennetta, gypsy cuddles and nanna wanks, comes a brand spanking new hour of mind blending internal self-hatred, paranoia and comedy – because you have to put comedy in it.

Years just don’t get any bigger than Sam Simmons’ 2015.

He won the two biggest awards in live comedy and sold out runs at every major comedy festival. He is back in Australia for a nanosecond in 2016. Don’t miss the hottest act in the comedy world in Melbourne.

The Bear Pack is Sydney’s Steen Raskopoulos (BBC’s Top Coppers, 2015 Barry Award nominee) and Carlo Ritchie (ABC’s The Checkout, Big Head Mode). Their show is 60 minutes of improvised storytelling. Inspired by your suggestions, The Bear Pack will create the kind of stories your grandparents wish they could tell you. The Bear Pack is the steamship of hilarity you’ve been waiting for. Don’t let it sail away without you.

PAGE 42

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VENUE: Melb Town Hall - Powder Room, Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, Melbourne DATES: April 1-2, 4, 8-9, 11 TIMES: 11pm (Mondays 6pm) TICKETS: $25

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VENUE: Forum Theatre – Upstairs, Cnr Flinders & Russell Sts, CBD DATES: March 24 – April 3 TIMES: 9pm (Sundays 8pm) TICKETS: $26 ­– $39

BEAT’S MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL 2016 GUIDE BROUGHT TO YOU BY COOPERS

JUSTIN HAMILTON HOOT After living in Melbourne for 13 years, Justin Hamilton had found his relationship with the city had come to an end. When the opportunity to move came his way, Hammo jumped at the chance and now finds himself living in the 3D city of Sydney where the women are constantly on their way to the gym, the men are shirtless with abs of stone, and the word rent is spelt RENT. This was an exciting time for an excitable fella and an opportunity for reinvention. From 4am starts to the point of night when the stars turn black, it was time for Hammo to embrace the future and no longer give a Hoot.

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VENUE: Melbourne Town Hall - Cloak Room, Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, CBD DATES: March 26 - April 16 (Saturdays only) TICKETS: $32

YOU ONLY LAUGH TWICE The sequel to 2015’s hit Live and Let Spy that’s illegally Bond! is another saucy secret agent affair, written by Ed Dolista. Illegitimate Theatre wrote that You Only Laugh Twice “Achieves the kind of bald-faced absurdity of a good Leslie Nielson/Zucker brothers movie.” While the Geelong News labelled the show “A hilarious evening of jokes, puns, sight gags and action.”

With superspy James Blonde and Russian Agent Ivana Holdyurhanski taking on the evil Dr. Maybe in a battle centred upon world domination, there’s no doubting the endearing silliness, action and entertainment on offer in this ensemble cast production. Ski chases, underwater action and the live performance of a theme song make it a mustsee send-up.

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VENUE: The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Place, CBD DATES: March 25 – April 3 (except Mondays) TIME: 5.30pm TICKETS: $25 – $32

KYLE KINANE

PAJAMA MEN PTERODACTYL NIGHTS

TERRESTRIAL WOES

The world-renowned sketch superstars return to Melbourne!

Drawing on their huge catalogue of classic bits, some new material and endless bizarre and improvised tangents, the Pajama Men create an anarchic night of jubilant and inventive comedy. American duo the Pajama Men take audiences everywhere and anywhere with delightfully divergent stories. Described as the “Improvisers’ improvisers. Actors’ actors. Comedians’ comedians” (Chicago Tribune), these one-of-a-kind performance legends have well and truly marked their territory as the kings of the surreal and the spontaneous. They’ve won awards worldwide for their antics, and whether you’re a diehard fan or seeing them for the first time the Pajama Men’s Pterodactyl Nights will get you where you need gettin’.

His debut Melbourne International Comedy Festival show scored a Barry nomination, making it impossible not to return to our distant shores. Hot on the heels of seasons in London, Edinburgh and across the USA, Kyle Kinane is gruff, goofy and just a little bit grizzly. It’s endearing the way he carves the grim and mundane of life into strangely uplifting and optimistic stories. Capable of weaving hilarious, accidental parables from stupidly dire, everyday encounters, Kyle’s unsophisticated exterior belies a complex wit and intelligence. Kyle is also no slouch when it comes to US television, finding his way onto Bob’s Burgers, Drunk History, and the voice of Comedy Central – vocal chords that can be heard in the flesh this festival.

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VENUE: Arts Centre Melbourne - The Spiegeltent, 100 St Kilda Rd, CBD DATES: April 12 – April 17 TIMES: 10pm (Sunday 9pm) TICKETS: $29 – $36

PETER HELLIAR ONE HOT MESS Peter Helliar’s brand new stand-up show is one hot mess or is that one mess of hotness? Either way it’s going to be both hot and messy. After bursting onto the Australian comedy scene as a cast member of Rove in the late 1990s there is not much Pete hasn’t done. He’s hosted radio shows, made a feature film and created an AFL sensation by way of Bryan Strauchan, Collingwood rookie and superstar. He’s made a hit TV series for ABCTV (It’s A Date) and can be seen most nights of the week on your TV on Channel Ten’s The Project.

He is simply one of the biggest names in Australian comedy.

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VENUE: The Comedy Theatre, Cnr Exhibition & Lonsdale Sts, CBD DATES: April 9, 10, 11 & 17 TIMES: Monday 8.30pm, Saturday 5.30pm, Sundays 7.45pm TICKETS: $39

ONGALS BABBLING COMEDY The ONGALS are back! If you missed their sell-out 2015 season or want to catch them again (and why wouldn’t you?), this is your chance to see the incomparable ensemble and their multi award-winning comedy, clowning, beatbox and gob-smackingly hilarious moves. With breathtaking magic, effortless circus and formidable beatboxing skills, the ONGALS will have you laughing your hat off, even if you don’t know why. A high-energy physical comedy spectacular to tickle the funny bone of every age, this wave of K-Comedy is truly side-splitting fun for all generations and a show you won’t want to miss. If ever in doubt over what to see at the Festival – this is the show you can take your nan, your three-year-old or your work colleague with guaranteed tears of laughter for all! Prepare to become hooked on K-Comedy!

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VENUE: The Famous Spiegeltent at Arts Centre Melbourne, 100 St Kilda Rd, CBD DATES: April 5 – April 17 (except Mondays) TIMES: 7pm (Sundays 6pm) TICKETS: $25 – $35

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VENUES: Melb Town Hall - Lower Town Hall, Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, CBD & Roxanne Parlour 2 Coverlid Place, CBD DATES: April 11 – 17 TIMES: 8.30pm (Sunday 7.30pm) TICKETS: $28 – $35

STEVE HUGHES After 20 years of touring in over 35 countries Steve knows how to command a stage like the back of his hand. For six shows he will be in his element performing Nervous Breakthrough­– a brand new hour of confronting, thought provoking and stirring material.

Hughes has spent the past two years recovering from a nervous breakdown, a broken heart, a car crash, a stint in rehab and a particularly bad reaction to tofu. He’s lucky to be alive, let alone funny. But being the resilient man that he is, Steve found some laughs in his most trying time.

Beginning his onstage career in the 80s as a drummer in Australian thrash metal bands, Hughes relocated to Europe in 2002 and spent 15 years performing and touring the world. Following his return to Australia several years ago, Hughes became a must-see act at festivals around the country, selling out seasons and becoming a regular on Network Ten’s annual Melbourne International Comedy Festival Gala.

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VENUE: Forum Theatre – Downstairs, Cnr Flinders & Russell Sts, Melbourne DATES: APRIL 5 – 10 TIMES: 9.45PM (8.45PM SUNDAY) PRICES: $30 – $40

THE 30TH BRIAN MCCARTHY MEMORIAL MOOSEHEAD AWARDS BENEFIT 2016 marks the 30th anniversary of The Brian McCarthy Memorial Moosehead Awards Benefit. This closing night event brings together the highest profile comedians, like Dave Hughes, alongside the hottest new tickets in town, like Luke McGregor. The line-up is always super secret, but take a peak at who we had on the sell-out show last year – Wil Anderson, Celia Pacquola, Sara Pascoe, Ronny Cheing to name a few.

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VENUE: Melb Town Hall - Main Hall, Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, Melbourne DATE: April 17 TIME: 8pm TICKETS: $54.90 – $59.90

BEAT’S MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL 2016 GUIDE BROUGHT TO YOU BY COOPERS

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HAL CRUTTENDEN

I (HONESTLY) LOVE YOU

STRAIGHT OUTTA’ CRUTTENDEN UK star of TV (Live at the Apollo, The Royal Variety Performance, Have I Got News For You) and radio (BBC Radio 4), Hal Cruttenden is on a mission and ready to rant!

From oversharing on social media to the pitfalls of the 5:2 diet, Hal is no-more-Mr-Nice Guy as he explores the real evils of the modern world. Slick and relatable, with a firm eye on the people’s politics, Hal has been entertaining audiences across the UK for years, and now it’s Australia’s turn. A sharp tongue hides behind that smiley demeanour and the more he complains, the funnier he gets.

From award-winning Western Australian playwright, Damon Lockwood, comes a tale of love gained, love lost, and love thrown around a bit. Nominated Best Play in WA, this comedy gem follows two people inflicted with a truth telling disease, as they meet and fall in love. Lloyd and Belle are the two reluctant protagonists burdened with the disease, vitiositas veritas. Like most relationships, everything seems to be going… sort of well at the start. A hesitant first date, a disappointing initial sexual encounter and an unfortunate meeting with Belle’s parents. Somehow the two lovers navigate these intimate difficulties to look each other in the eye and say, “I love you”. Which, unbeknown to either of them, precipitates the next stage of the disease.

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VENUE: Melbourne Town Hall – Powder Room, Cnr Swanston & Collins St, CBD DATES: March 24 – April 17 (except Mondays) TIMES: 8.30pm (Sundays 7.30pm) TICKETS: $26.50 – $33.50

VENUE: National Theatre, Cnr Barkly & Carlisle Sts, St Kilda DATES: April 12 – 16 TIME: 7.30pm TICKETS: $25

JOEL CREASEY

CELIA PACQUOLA

In the last year Joel has carved a comedy swathe across the globe and on TV screens – he’s an unstoppable comedic force. Grabbing critical acclaim in the UK, USA, Canada and of course here in Australia, he’s sold out shows and conquered the globe with acerbic, fearless and hilarious tales drawn from his life. In the next instalment from Australia’s hottest comedy star, The Crown Prince, no one is safe and nothing is sacred.

2015 saw Celia Pacquola’s arrival as a heavy hitter on the Australian comedy scene. She was hand-picked to support comedy super star John Oliver on his Australian tour and played to sold out crowds across the country with her critically acclaimed solo show Let Me Know How It All Works Out. She also starred in the second series of Utopia and the ABC drama The Beautiful Lie. Celia has a list of accomplishments a mile long including a Barry Award nomination, appearances at the Montreal Just for Laugh Festival and rave reviews at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. For all of these reasons and many more the comic will be in great demand this festival.

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VENUE: Max Watt’s, 125 Swanston St (opp Town Hall), CBD DATES: March 24 – April 17 (except March 31) TIMES: 8.15pm (Sundays 7.15pm) TICKETS: $25 – $39

PAGE 46

THE LOOKING GLASS

VENUE: The Comedy Theatre, Cnr Exhibition & Lonsdale Sts, CBD DATES: March 30 - April 4 (Except Tuesday, Thursday & Sunday) TIME: 7pm TICKETS: $34 – $39

BEAT’S MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL 2016 GUIDE BROUGHT TO YOU BY COOPERS

BLAKE EVERETT

COLIN LANE AND FRIENDS

READY SINCE I WAS FIVE Some say they were born ready. I find that hard to believe. I wasn’t. I just finished Year 12 and I’m barely ready. If I had to pin it down to a certain year, I’d say I’ve been ready Since I Was Five. Not for all things, but some things. After a successful run in the 2015 Melbourne Fringe Festival, 18-year-old Blake Everett is ready to debut his blend of stand-up, musical comedy and absurdity at this year’s festival.

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Colin Lane is bringing three (maybe four) of his favourite funny friends to Melbourne International Comedy Festival in three nights of sweet variety and hilarious times. And without blowing too much smoke up his proverbial, let’s be honest, Colin’s been around a while and he knows a few people, so the friends will be awesome.

VENUE: Verve Studios, 37 Swanston St, CBD DATES: March 24 – April 9 (Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays) TIME: 7pm TICKETS: $20

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VENUE: Melb Town Hall - Supper Room, Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, CBD DATES: April 8 – 10 TIMES: 9.45pm (Sundays 8.45pm) TICKETS: $35

FRENCHY

PAUL FOOT

The praying mantis lookalike that is Frenchy is an all-round winner, both in the real world and on the Internet. Since 2015’s event he’s sold out all major Australian comedy festivals, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and even popped up in the iTunes’ Top 30 with his debut single, Friendzone. Then there are his 200 million views and 1.5 million fans on social media.

In World’s Worst Adult the stand-up sensation, born and raised in the “ghettos of Wollongong,” is at his dreadful best.

A caboodle of burning church keys flying through the debonair strike Clumpy Claud in his unclerical face. Seaside divorcees clatter as a parliament of owls descends. Shower gel pens were fine; mandatory mandarins are too far. Mr Foot returns to Melbourne with a show highlighting his best work from previous years.

A must for fans of one of comedy’s most original stars.

Montana’s critically acclaimed cranky Yank lets loose his wry, satirical scorn and breakneck wit. He’s never short of targets for his growling indignation.

Since taking to the microphone over 20 years ago, Rich Hall has brought deadpan comic genius to stages around the world, mesmerising crowds with superbly constructed stories, dark irony and grouchy audience banter. Whether as his cantankerous self or as his bourbon-soaked redneck alter ego Otis Lee Crenshaw, Rich delights and magnetises audiences with on-the-money wit and comical deftness.

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VENUE: Trades Hall – New Ballroom, Cnr Lygon & Victoria Sts, Carlton DATES: March 24 – April 17 TIMES: 8.15pm (Sundays 7.15pm) TICKETS: $18 – $27.50

PAGE 48

AN EVENING WITH MR PAUL FOOT

VENUE: Melbourne Town Hall – Lower Town Hall, Cnr Swanston & Collins St, CBD DATES: April 12 – April 17 TIMES: 7pm (Sunday 6pm) TICKETS: $30 – $38.50

RICH HALL

VENUE: Melb Town Hall - Lower Town Hall, Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, CBD DATES: March 24 – April 3 (except Monday) TIMES: 7pm (Sundays 6pm) TICKETS: $31 – $39.50

BEAT’S MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL 2016 GUIDE BROUGHT TO YOU BY COOPERS

Overfloweth Poster MCC FINAL ART.indd 1

24/02/2016 5:50 pm

TOM GLEESON

LESSONS WITH LUIS

GREAT Are you coming to my show? Yes? Great. Not coming? Your problem. Last year was a breakout year for Tom Gleeson.

The three-time Helpmann Award nominee starred alongside Charlie Pickering with his ‘Hard Chat’ segment on The Weekly.

He toured the country with his stand-up show — aptly titled Tom Gleeson —and just casually went about being one of the most in demand comedians on the Australian comedy scene. Tom’s trademark dry and wicked style, both unique and hilarious, puts him in a class all of his own.

Hello, I am Luis. This show is not a comedy show. It is an educational show to help the world become a better place.

Learning. It’s important. Hello, I am Luis. Here to educate and entertain you. My mother always said if you follow your dreams you will be a happy person. This is why I am doing an educational show to help make the world a better place. Some important subjects I will cover include balloons, dads and cats. I love cats.

Lessons With Luis is gleefully out of the ordinary, and wonderfully odd. It’s where Luis does his best work, and why audiences can’t get enough of him.

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VENUE: The Comedy Theatre, Cnr Exhibition & Lonsdale Sts, CBD DATES: April 7 – 9, 15 – 16 TIMES: 8.45pm (Fridays & Saturdays 7pm) TICKETS: $34 – $49

Jake Johannsen

VENUE: ACMI – Games Room, Federation Square,

CBD DATES: March 24 – April 17 (except Mondays) TIMES: 7pm (Sundays 6pm) TICKETS: $18 – $26

RODNEY RUDE

ED BRITTON

Talking Show

STIFF PENSIONER

AN ODD JOB

Jake Johannsen - one of America’s most prominent comedians - will make his Melbourne International Comedy Festival debut this year. As well as performing his own comedy specials for HBO, Showtime and Comedy Central, Johannsen has appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman more than any other comedian, holding 46 performances under his belt.

Rude: zero attention span. Rude: master of sexually oriented comedy. “I can’t go wrong, everyone has genitals.” Rude: over three million albums sold with no airplay. Rude: six years since last sell-out Melbourne tour. Joyfulness, from the man with the most recognisable laugh in showbiz, and a role model to thousands of Rude fans. Rodney Rude is back bigger and better than ever with Stiff Pensioner, playing at pubs across the city: Commercial Hotel, Village Green Hotel, Waltzing Matilda Hotel, Sandbelt Hotel, Sandown Park Hotel, Burvale Hotel, Shoppingtown Hotel, Mac’s Hotel, Seaford Hotel, Chelsea Heights Hotel, Gateway Hotel, York On Lilydale, Plaza Tavern, Hallam Hotel.

In An Odd Job, Ed Britton explores the vagaries of working life in all its weird and wonderful incarnations. The highs and lows, the joys and the jadedness, the ecstasy and the apathy. Ever wanted to know about the secret lives (and deaths) of competitive dwarf hamsters? The Corporation entirely constituted of men called Nigel? The finer points of croissanterie? Ed has had such disparate experiences of employment you’ll barely believe them all. Trained at the London School of Musical Theatre, Ed has also pulled pints, baked bread and project managed the relocation of the British Broadcasting Corporation from London to Manchester. In spare moments he has sold herpes cream, chai lattés and consulting services.

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VENUE: Greek Theatre - Parthenon, Cnr Lonsdale & Exhibition Sts, CBD Dates: March 24 – April 17 (except Mondays) Times: 7.15pm (Sundays 6.15pm) Tickets: $19 - $27.50

PAGE 52

VENUES: Hallam Hotel, 241 Princes Hwy, Hallam, plus many more (for more details visit www.rude.com.au) DATES: March 23 – 24, March 30 – April 2, April 5 – 9, 14, 16 –17 TIMES: 8pm (April 17: 5pm) TICKETS: $59.50

VENUE: Highlander, 11a Highlander Lane, CBD DATES: March 23, April 2, 5, 7, 9, 13, 15 TIMES: 9.45 pm (March 23 & April 2: 7.15pm) TICKETS: $17 – $22

BEAT’S MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL 2016 GUIDE BROUGHT TO YOU BY COOPERS

SHIRALEE HOOD

SONG CONTEST

ROCK THE BOAT

THE ALMOST EUROVISION EXPERIENCE

Shiralee Hood is Australia’s premier Aboriginal female comedian and the hottest new comedian in the Hood: clever, cheeky, charming and challenging. She’s been rockin’ audiences throughout Australia – as a black woman in a white man’s world life gets crazy, difficult and confusing and Shiralee will no longer take it lying down. A rising comic, a great storyteller, and sometimes a lady, Shiralee has an explosive, hilarious style that will keep you riveted. Engaging, politically edgy, and ready to hit you with the truth, she is an amazing bundle of experience, activism and attitude. Ring that bell, sound that siren, tap those sticks and get ready to laugh out loud.

The Almost Eurovision Experience is a glitzy comedic homage to Eurovision. Eleven finalists, each one representing a country, will compete performing original love songs, funky pop tunes and power ballads. All for the ultimate prize (made entirely of cheese) with the audience vote determining the eventual winner. Just like the real thing: way over the top, interactive, sparkly. A cross between a musical comedy, a concert and a live sporting event, it will be loud, fast-paced and end with a nail-biting finish.

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DATES: April 1 – 17 TIMES: 8pm (Saturdays 2pm & 8pm, Sundays

3pm) TICKETS: $49 – $59

SNORT WITH FRIENDS Snort triumphantly returns to Melbourne for its second season as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Fast-paced and hilarious, Snort is Auckland’s favourite weekly improvised show. Featuring some of New Zealand’s top comedians, such as Rose Matafeo, Guy Montgomery and Eli Matthewson, the show will see the cast joined by some special guest comedians from the Festival. Snort has been running for two years in its hometown of Auckland and has become a Friday night cult classic. No games. Just smart comedy with a twist of naughty.

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VENUE: Alex Theatre St Kilda, 135 Fitzroy St,

St Kilda

VENUE: Trades Hall - The Music Room, Cnr Lygon & Victoria Sts, Carlton DATES: March 24 - April 17 (except Mondays) TIMES: 9.30pm (Sundays 8.30pm) TICKETS: $15 - $20

VENUE: Victoria Hotel - Acacia Room, 215 Lt Collins

St, CBD DATES: March 24 – April 17 (except Mondays) TIMES: 6pm (Sundays 5pm) TICKETS: $19 – $22

ALEXIS SIMMONDS & HELENE MURRAY 7 SIMPLE LIFE LESSONS WITH LEXI AND LILITH Lexi is 44 and a wannabe indie-popstar who has never been in a band. Lilith is 79 and recently expelled from the CWA. Join Lexi, Lilith and Lola (the ukulele) for 7 simple lessons told through story and song about how not to be bitter and twisted. Youth is wasted on the young – only after that does the fun begin.

Lexi Simmonds and Helene Murray (the artist otherwise known as Lilith Longfellow) are well aware of the negative stereotypes that older women face in the world of comedy. Like their heroes French and Saunders they are giving a voice to a demographic that rarely gets much airtime in the comedy scene.

7 Simple Life Lessons with Lexi and Lilith will appeal to all generations, to anyone going through a time of change in their life. These life lessons are for men and women of all ages; a guide to the young on “what not to do” and an opportunity for the older to relate and celebrate.

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VENUE: The Downstairs Lounge @ The Grand Mercure Hotel, 195 Swanston St, CBD, Highlander 11a Highlander Lane, CBD DATES: March 25, 29 & 31, April 1, 7, 9, 14 & 17 TIMES: March 25 – April 1: 7.15pm, March 7 – 17: 9.45pm TICKETS: $17 – $22

DINOSAUR PARK This laugh-out-loud spin on Spielberg’s classic Jurassic Park is a theatrical celebration of cinematic nostalgia and a powerful reminder of the ones we love.

Welcome to the unlikely setting of Lyme Regis Community Centre, where the Park family embark on a journey to a misty past. When things go wrong, family feuds are faced with the rapturous roar of DIY dinosaurs. An epic adventure of show-stopping, spine-tingling theatrics and megalithic mayhem. Total Edinburgh Fringe sell-out!

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VENUE: Trades Hall – New Ballroom, Cnr Lygon & Victoria St, Carlton DATES: March 24 – April 17 (except Mondays) TIMES: 7pm (Saturdays 4pm & 7pm, Sundays 6pm) TICKETS: $30 – $35

© 2016 Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Australia Pty Limited. All Rights Reserved.

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COOPERS AT MELBOURNE COMEDY FESTIVAL 2016

The Coopers Malthouse plays host as the Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s newest hub with 13 shows over three levels of laughs. Keep the party flowing into the night at The Coopers Comedy bar, plus get the best eats from our convoy of artisan food trucks. Eat, laugh, drink repeat at The Coopers Malthouse and skip the stress of the city this Comedy Festival.

With so much to see at the legendary Malthouse, here’s our picks from some of the fine entertainment that’s on offer.

homage to her favourite (dead) comedian.

The Australian Times gives it 4.5 stars and say it’s “A feminist masterpiece disguised behind dick-jokes and partial nudity. It’s brilliant!” Chortle gives it 2 stars and says a definitive “Whatever.” How do you respond to reviews? Who cares? She’s naked and wants to wrestle. Truscott will be winning over audiences from Friday April 1, until Sunday April 17, excluding Mondays.

ERIC ORMONDI VELVET

After dazzling audiences around the globe, VELVET arrives at the festival continuing to defy expectations with an electrifying trip to a world of glamour and abandon. A raucous and seductive fusion of disco, dance, burlesque and circus, it shocks, surprises and scintillates at every turn. It’s a party, it’s dangerous, it’s a showcase fuelled by an exhilarating disco soundtrack that never lets up from the opening moments.

Director Craig Ilott has created a pitchperfect world, pitting dazzling acrobatics against disco divas, channeling the original Studio 54 nightclub. Singer/ songwriter Brendan Maclean leads the cast alongside an international ensemble of circus, cabaret and music talent, including Hula Boy extraordinaire Craig Reid, muscle man Stephen Williams, acrobatic wunderkind Mirko Köckenberger, aerialist Emma Goh, sassy sirens Chaska Halliday & Rechelle Mansour, mix master Joe Accaria and the legendary diva Marcia Hines. Playing Wednesday March 23, until Sunday April 17, excluding Mondays.

BRIAN LOBEL PURGE

In 2011, Brian Lobel played a brutal game of friendship maintenance. Over four days of performance in public cafés, Brian talked about his 1,342 Facebook friends for one minute each, after which time a jury of strangers decided whether he should ‘keep’ or ‘delete’ them. The deleting was real, the pace maniacal and the decisions final. Drawing from 50 hours of performance and 800 emails from angry, amused and intrigued friends, Purge explores our relationship with social media. On Wednesday March 30, until Sunday April 3.

LAWRENCE LEUNG VERY STRANGE THINGS

Experiments, mind games and impossible coincidences. Join Lawrence in his fascinating yet ethically-dubious laboratory of unexplainable things. An evening of comedic curiosities, mind-bending occurrences and side-splitting laughs.

Lawrence is an award-winning standup and filmmaker from TV shows Maximum Choppage (ABC2), Unbelievable (ABC1), Choose Your Own Adventure (ABC1), and the feature film Sucker. He also played an awkward doctor on Offspring. Playing on select dates from Thursday March 24, until Sunday April 17.

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STUART BOWDEN SHE WAS PROBABLY NOT A ROBOT

A lo-fi, DIY, off-beat, sci-fi storytelling experience; a surreal, soulful comedy about a decomposing world and a cosmic visitor. When the world ends in flood and fire, one man, asleep on his air-mattress, floats out of his bedroom window, through burning debris and out to sea to be the sole survivor and last hope for humanity. Sublime storytelling and joyful physical theatre. Showing from Wednesday March 23, until Sunday April 17, excluding Mondays.

DAMIAN CALLINAN

Damo set himself one goal to achieve before he turned 50: learn to Swing Dance. Result: he owns professional dance shoes but still can’t swing dance. As far as unfulfilled life goals go, it’s no modern day tragedy, but when you selectively narrow your life goals down to one thing and you don’t do it, it’s time for revision.

What else has Damo left off his list of goals? Can he meet his revised target of learning to swing dance by 51? Are his dance shoes tax deductible? ‘Lindy hop’ on down to watch the three time Barry nominee ‘shag’ his way through his mid­ life ‘boogie woogie’ crisis. Showing from Thursday March 24, until Saturday April 16, excluding Mondays.

on ABC’s Australian Story, and read in The New York Times, is finally here. Shows starting on Tuesday April 5, and running until Sunday April 17, excluding Mondays.

WIL GREENWAY VINCENT GOES SPLAT

Fresh from a sold out Edinburgh Fringe, our master storyteller brings you the story of Vincent: of two men who met falling forty stories, sharing tales of lost love and dropped pies, courage, failure, victory and geese. Too many geese.

Wil Greenway is the creator of For the Ground that Grew Me (sold out Edinburgh Fringe 2015), A Night to Dismember (nominated Auckland Fringe Best Comedy and Best Comedy Performer) and cocreator of The Lounge Room Confabulators (winner of Adelaide Fringe Award and the Underbelly Edinburgh Award).

Vincent Goes Splat is a heavyhearted comedy. A tale of grisly death and unlikely escape, of bullies and bitter dreams; a story for bad break ups and worse funerals, for the car that killed your cat, and the cuppa that saved your life. Sure it’s bleak, but for all the falling there’s also flight. It’ll do you good, this bounding comedy for that bitter heart. Vincent will be ‘splatting’ his way through the festival from Wednesday March 23, until Sunday April 17, excluding Mondays.

LANA SCHWARCZ LOVELY LADY LUMP

ZOE MCDONALD GOOD MORNING MOFO

Because fuck Cancer. A theatrical romp through one comedian’s Breast Cancer adventure. After successfully not-dying in real life last year, award winning comic performer Lana Schwarcz refuses to die on-stage in her new show, Lovely Lady Lump, at MICF. In an unmissable show that is vibrant, touching, real, raw and hilarious, Lana skilfully makes mutated cells the butt of the joke. Cos Cancer seriously deserves to be laughed out of town. Lana will be taking the stage on select dates from Wednesday April 6, until Sunday April 17.

Flick the TV on at 6am and there they are, ready for you inside the warm cocoon of Hollywood gossip, YouTube stars and videos of kittens. There’s no room for current affairs in this bubble of studio-generated sunshine. But don’t be concerned, there’s plenty of guru to go around. Zoe McDonald’s cocktail of characters are as feel-good as your morning a cup of tea, laced with whisky. Good Morning Mofo is the breakfast show that can only be experienced after dark. Kicking off on Wednesday March 23, Good Morning Mofo will run until Sunday April 17, excluding Mondays.

SAMI SHAH I, MIGRANT & OTHER STORIES

ADRIENNE TRUSCOTT A ONE-TRICK PONY

Pakistani comedian and writer Sami Shah left Pakistan for a better life. Instead, he ended up in rural Western Australia. But he survived, and now, finally, he’s made it to Melbourne. The award-winning show – best-selling autobiography – as seen

Kenya’s king of comedy Eric Omondi, known for his hilarious stand up act and witty deliverance, will be bringing his live show for the first time in Australia to the prestigious Melbourne Comedy Festival. A night of fun and laughter. Taking place on Sunday March 27.

GERALDINE QUINN COULD YOU REPEAT THAT?

Ten years, two Moosehead Awards, 30 award nominations and seven wins later (including 2011 Golden Gibbo and Best Cabaret NZ Fringe 2015), the rock ponce returns for a once only retrospective, reworking great and rare song-zombies (Penis Envy anyone?).

Could You Repeat That? is a jamboree of Quinnsong, many of which will at last be played with a living band of talented, affordable musicians.

Ten years. And she doesn’t look a day older than a Boxing Day ham wrapped in disco dots with enough hair product to punch a couple more holes in the ozone (yes, she‘s old enough to remember before ozone depletion was even a thing. Also faxes. She remembers before faxes). Quinn will be hitting the stage on Thursday March 24.

QUARTER TIME WITH THE GUARDIAN LIVE

The Coopers Malthouse and The Guardian Australia join forces this Comedy Festival to present a pertinent, provocative, panel; engaging in witty, intelligent debate (mostly), laughs and the occasional insight. Join us for a discussion of the state of play and all things topical, as a panel of Guardian journos, comedians, media commentators and other special guests dissect what has been in the news.

Hosted by Guardian Australia’s assistant news editor, Bridie Jabour, and featuring comedian Lawrence Leung (Lawrence Leung’s Choose Your Own Adventure, ABC TV), journalist Erik Jensen (The Saturday Paper) and Guardian deputy political editor Katherine Murphy. Come along, voice your opinion and have a drink with us at the bar.

The news cycle seems to move at an annoyingly fast pace and sometimes it’s wise to take to the bench, discuss the current state of play(s) and think about what the future stories might be.

Quarter Time at the Comedy Festival is the first of a series of events to take place at the Malthouse across 2016 – you guessed it – every quarter. You can catch it on Tuesday April 5.

COOPERS COMEDY BAR

The Coopers Malthouse Comedy Bar is open nightly during the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, loaded with daily specials for artists and punters alike. Stop by for a range of premium wines, beer by the bottle or schooner, refreshing ciders, light snacks and more. Capping it off, they’re offering $5 beer wines at Happy Hour, running from Tuesday through to Friday from 5pm to 6.30pm. That ought to get the laughter flowing.

Comedy isn’t for pussies, so Truscott’s throwing hers back in the ring. Your number one GPRL (Gimmicky-PantslessRape-Lady) wrestles with standing up while telling jokes, ‘second shows’ and stealing material. All the while paying

BEAT’S MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL 2016 GUIDE BROUGHT TO YOU BY COOPERS

BEAT’S MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL 2016 GUIDE BROUGHT TO YOU BY COOPERS

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COMEDY COMPASS 2016 MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL HUBS From comedy institutions to intimate rooms, the Melbourne Comedy Festival has seemingly turned the city into an all encompassing stage. To get the most out the festival this year, you’re going to need to be prepared. There’s just so much on. That’s why we’ve put together a rundown of some low-key favourites along with the festival’s main hubs, so you can spend more time laughing and less time looking lost.

Free Festival Bus

Trades Hall

To squeeze as many shows as you can into a night, make sure you take advantage of the free festival bus, shuttling between Melbourne Town Hall and Trades Hall via the Greek Centre and Roxanne for free, every night.

ACMI AT FEDERATION SQUARE

Trades Hall has become a Melbourne institution. And rightly so, after acting as a festival hub for 18 years.

Expect to see the likes of Brendon Green, Simon Taylor, Tom Ballard and more take to the stage.

For another year ACMI’s festival roster boasts an abundance of comedy veterans alongside festival standouts.

Join Felicity Ward as she tackles mental illness and anxiety with her familiar, albeit, animated approach in What if There is No Toilet?, and Nick Cody as he returns from a gargantuan world tour with stories of travel and adventure in Come Get Some. Alternatively there’s Dogmatic, which places Hannah Gadsby in her element as she attempts to explain woeful life decisions, all the while remaining utterly baffled. Good times are to be had in the city’s iconic centre junction.

YARRAVILLE CLUB Bringing the glitz and glam to this year’s Melbourne International Comedy festival is the Yarraville Club. The long-time comedic heart of Melbourne’s west isn’t interested in the conventional, or the ordinary, playing host to stand-up acts with sass and showmanship. Adam Zwar and the gang of Agony Aunts and Uncles will be in attendance for Agony Live, so too Michael Griffiths with his ode to Madonna, In Vogue: Songs By Madonna alongside the crew from Police Cops. Last but not least, Rose ‘Bachi Recaps’ Waterland – Australia’s answer to Lena Dunham – is set to make her Comedy Festival debut with My Life On The Couch (with Vodka).

Greek Centre Woopa! The Greek Centre returns for another year, bursting to the hilt with top notch comics and shows. Make sure to catch the brilliant Jake Johannsen when he brings his Talking Show to the hallowed stage.

ROXANNE Roxanne is synonymous with Melbourne’s nightlife.

Located in the elusive laneway of Coverlid Place, it sits directly on the city’s beating cultural pulse. This year, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival is taking over the dance floor and populating it with a mouth-watering list of comedic talent. Adam Hess will be dolling out wit and wordplay in spades, Yeti’s Demon Dive Bar will step into the absurd and Peter & Bambi Heaven bring to life the world of cornball magic in The Magic Inside. Do yourself a favour by spending a night or two in the comedy jungle that is Roxanne.

BUTTERFLY CLUB The intimate, immediate and beguiling nature of live comedy is alive and well thanks to The Butterfly Club. The hidden gem is renowned for its cabaret, comedy, and cocktails, tucked away off Little Collins Street in Melbourne’s CBD. Here you can catch the criminally funny James Bond-spinoff You Only Laugh Twice, Claire Healy spilling all the beans in A Little Too Much Information, and find the funny side of doom and gloom in Alice Tovey’s Malice alongside cult favourite Jude Perl and a whole heap more.

MELBOURNE TOWN HALL As the bright, gleaming epicentre for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, the Melbourne Town Hall hosts some of the festival’s biggest names. Frank Woodley will be taking you on a journey of normalcy in the endlessly odd Extra Ordinary, and Matt Okine will be working the crowd when the sun’s down as opposed to his customary early starts on triple j’s Breakfast with Matt and Alex. And don’t forget Mae Martin in US, finding the funny in human interaction. The Melbourne Town Hall opens up a world of possibilities and experiences during the comedy festival.

THE COOPERS MALTHOUSE

THE FAMOUS SPIELGELTENT

Located in the heart of Southbank’s arts precinct, The Coopers Malthouse Theatre couples the inner city’s rich creative history with a contemporary approach to comedy and performance. As the Melbourne International Comedy festival’s newest hub, the prospect of witnessing the best and brightest comedy has to offer while downing a quality brew is one that can’t be missed. Lawrence Leung will be there playing mind games and curiously narrating impossible coincidences in Very Strange Things. Velvet, on the other hand, will be getting their boogie on with their critically acclaimed musical. Comedy never tasted so good.

The Famous Spielgeltent injects into this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival a sea of glamour full of magic tricks and vivacious expeditions into cabaret. With acts such as Tripod and their 101 Hits, and the bizarre sketch comedy performance of Pajama Men in Pterodactyl Nights, the fantastical Spielgeltent offers a foray into the fabulous realm of comedy.

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BEAT’S MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL 2016 GUIDE BROUGHT TO YOU BY COOPERS

SPECIAL EVENTS Raw Comedy National Grand Final

It’s survival of the funniest as the nation’s newest comedy pioneers continue on their quest for success in the 2016 RAW Comedy National Grand Final. The country’s Columbus-like pack of comedy experts have searched high and low in every pub, club and theatre across the country travelling from Darwin to Nowra, Byron Bay to Hobart and everywhere in between to uncover the humour hiding in every corner of Australia. This two hour display of the finalist’s funniest five minutes will feature the very best of Australia’s up and coming comics, with the winner of the comedy caucus continuing on their intrepid journey with a trip to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. A Melbourne International Comedy Festival initiative since 1996, past finalists include Ronny Chieng, Hannah Gadsby, Josh Thomas, Celia Pacquola, Laura Hughes, Tom Ballard and Matt Okine – just to name a few.

Class Clowns National Grand Final

Finalists from every state are set to hit Melbourne for the main event in Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s hunt for Australia’s funniest classroom crack ups. The Class Clowns National Grand Final is a breeding ground for the country’s youngest jokers to cut their teeth in comedy and score some great prizes too. The winner takes home $1500 for themselves and a $1000 workshop package for their school. Just imagine how many text books you could by with that. This year’s Final will be hosted by 2015 Winners Will McKenna and Ethan Cavanagh, with special guestperformances from Australia’s awardwinning, rising comedy star Anne Edmonds, and Korea’s hilarious ensemble and comedy beat-box sensation ONGALS. Venue: Melbourne Town Hall (Main Hall) Date: Friday April 15 Time: 1pm Tickets: $15 - $18

Humour Us 30 Years of Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Venue: Melbourne Town Hall Dates: Sunday April 10 Time: 5pm Tickets: $29-$35

The 27th Annual Great Debate

To celebrate their 30th anniversary, Melbourne International Comedy Festival is collaborating with Arts Centre Melbourne to present a major exhibition.

From the 1987 launch with Peter Cook and Sir Les Patterson, through backstage, behind the scenes shots and much-loved costumes, to artwork, audiovisual content and live discussions, the life and times of Melbourne’s much-loved Festival (and the creative people who make it) is captured in this entertaining exhibition. It’s possibly the funniest gallery you’ll ever visit.

Six comedians. Two sides. One topic. One host with not a hope of keeping things under control. It’s the 27th Annual Great Debate, that’s for sure. A sell out event of the Festival each year, the Great Debate will see two teams of comics battle in a duel over comedy and wit in the debate that stops the nation.

Melbourne Town Hall will host the Festival’s biggest battle of the brains, as a mix of local and international comedy heavyweights argue, rant, beg, cheat and steal to reign supreme. The topic will be divisive and contentious, and the comedy hard-hitting and shamelessly antagonistic.

Witness comedy’s colossal contest, where the festival’s funniest lock horns to debate the world’s big questions. It’s competitive comedy at its most heated and hilarious.

Venue: Arts Centre Dates: Saturday March 12 – Sunday April 17 Tickets: Free

Venue: Melbourne Town Hall Date: Saturday April 9 Time: 3pm Tickets: $38 - $58

The Big Fat (30th Birthday) Comedy Quiz

Comedy’s got geeks and who doesn’t love a quiz?

To celebrate, Comedy Quiz will crown Melbourne’s biggest nerd in comedy. Hosted by Comedy Festival favourite Lawrence Mooney, this quiz is the perfect opportunity to flex those Australian comedy trivia muscles. Players can back themselves playing individually or assemble a crack team to take everyone else down.

For those who know their Doug Anthony All Stars from Die Roten Punkte; those who have watched hours of Graham Kennedy, Aunty Jack, Fast Forward, The Big Gig or Utopia; or regulars at The Last Laugh, the Comedy Store in Sydney or Spleen – it’s time for them to start their stretches.

Not only will they compete against other fans and trivia boffins, they will also pit their wits against a team of comedic challengers who will be live on stage, racking their brains because it’s just embarrassing if they get it wrong. This is the search for the biggest Australian comedy buff – the super-fan to outwit them all. There can be only one. And they will win glory, prizes and of course, all-important bragging rights.

Venue: The Famous Spiegeltent, Arts Centre Melbourne Date: Saturday April 2 Time: 5.15pm Tickets: $15 (maximum of 8 in a team)

Upfront

Comedy’s leading ladies come together again for one huge 21st birthday bash. For over twenty years now the glamour girls of Upfront have brought the house down in a night loaded with laughs, and there’ll be no slowing down or growing up as the Festival’s funny women hit the big 2-1. Marking the comingof-age will be host Geraldine Quinn along with a line-up of some of the best female comedians from Australia and abroad. And just like the gift that keep on giving, the event will feature charm, laughs and lip in the style we’ve grown to know and love. Some of our Australian favourites gracing the stage include Hannah Gadsby, Geraldine Hickey, Felicity Ward, Celia Pacquola, Becky Lucas, Em Rusciano, Anne Edmonds, Mel Buttle and more. Crossing the pond from the international comedy circuit comes Chicken Club, Sofie Hagen, Mae Martin, Luisa Omielan and Urzila CarlsonGet ready to blow out the candles at the biggest and best comedy party celebrating the fierce, the farcical, the risqué and the riotous.

Venue: Melbourne Town Hall – Main Hall Date: Tuesday April 12 Time: 7:30pm Tickets: $31 - $44

Triple J’s Good Az Friday

Deadly Funny National Grand Final and Showcase

Cheeky and loud, black and proud, Deadly Funny celebrates ten years unearthing the freshest, fiercest and funniest new Indigenous talent from around the country with the largest National Grand Final in its history. With a story-telling culture spanning over 60,000 years, Deadly Funny unearths and recognises the bright and bold new talent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander comics from all over Australia in a vibrant showcase featuring newcomers alongside some of our deadliest pro comedians. In 2016, the State Final winners will come together to compete in the Deadly Funny National Grand Final for a $2000 cash prize, in a special event will be hosted

by Kevin Kropinyeri and Meshel Laurie along with special guest Andy Saunders, Sean Choolburra, Shiralee Hood and more special guests.

Venue: Melbourne Town Hall (Main Hall) Date: Saturday April 16 Time: 4pm Tickets: $15 – $23.50

Bunnies! Sacrilege! Chocolate eggs! Un-scripted madness! All broadcast live around the nation bringing light to one of the, shall we say, “less festive” public holidays.

Featuring a huge line-up of comedy legends, triple j and Melbourne International Comedy Festival invite you to spend your Good Friday with triple j’s Matt and Alex as they present top tunes and funnies from the Melbourne Comedy Festival’s finest. Plus, it’s totally free. Featuring the likes of Sara Pascoe, Rhys Nicholson, Larry Dean, Mae Martin, Becky Lucas, Ivan Aristeguieta, Rose Matafeo, Ciaran Lyons, Aunty Donna and of course, Father Bob, it’s set to be the most bang for your buck you’ll find this year.

Venue: Melbourne Town Hall Date: Friday March 25 Time: 12pm Tickets: Free

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American: The Bill Hicks Story

Much more than a comedian, Bill Hicks was and still is an inspiration to millions. As a rebellious teenager, he discovered that comedy was a way to break all the rules and get away with it, but as he honed his skills, he realised it was also a way to open people’s minds.

His timeless comedy tackled the contradictions of America and modern life head on. But his unique gift was to tease apart the essence of religion, the dangers of unbridled government power and the double standards inherent in much of modern society, using nothing but his hilarious ideas and the uncompromising observational style that continues to resonate with successive generations.

Like many who have a strong sense of their place in history, Hicks left a large unseen legacy; his collection of video recordings and hundreds of photographs and these became the starting point for this funny and revealing documentary.

Venue: ACMI Cinemas Dates: Wednesday March 30 Time: 6.30pm Tickets: $12 - $16

Comedy Zone Asia

Let some of Asia’s most brilliant comedic talents give you a taste of where they hail from with Comedy Zone Asia. Back after a stellar debut season in 2015, the event sees a handpicked bunch of Asia’s finest comics.

Featuring the likes of Singapore’s Sharul Channa, China’s Storm Zhu (winner of the Outstanding Performance Award at the inaugural Shanghai International Comedy Festival) and Indian Youtube sensation Daniel Fernandes in his Australian debut, it’s an event to laugh and learn from new perspectives.

Venue: Regent Room, Melbourne Town Hall Dates: Thursday March 24 – Sunday April 17 Times: 7pm (Sundays 6pm) Tickets: $22-$32

BEAT’S MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL 2016 GUIDE BROUGHT TO YOU BY COOPERS

Mild sexual references

BEAT’S MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL 2016 GUIDE BROUGHT TO YOU BY COOPERS

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