And the winners are…
Justin Hamilton: Idiot Man Child
Des Bishop: My Dad Was Nearly James Bond
Headliners: Tig Notaro, Mitch Fatel, Jeremy Hotz
MICF 2010, Goodbye Old Friend.
Headliners: Tig Notaro, Mitch Fatel, Jeremy Hotz
Here’s an attractive proposition: three visiting North American comics, each of whom could easily sustain their own show, performing on a mixed bill. Demands of the US pilot season means few comics could commit to the [...]
Des Bishop: My Dad Was Nearly James Bond
If you think this is really the in-depth story of how Des Bishop’s father, a jobbing character actor, nearly got to be James Bond, prepare for disappointment. He was specially asked to audition for 007 in On Her Majest[...]
Justin Hamilton: Idiot Man Child
It’s ironic, given the underlying theme of this show, but the word that best describes Justin Hamilton is ‘professional’. In smart suit, he cuts supremely poised figure, backed up with a slick and well-constructed [...]
And the winners are…
Sammy J and his puppet sidekick Randy have won this year’s Barry Award for the funniest show at the Melbourne comedy festival. The accolade for their new show, Ricketts Lane, comes two years after Sammy and puppete[...]
Notes from a first-timer
I had heard that Melbourne was going to be amazing, not just in terms of drinking, but of general frenetic activity, and this festival was all about comedy, as opposed to the Adelaide fringe where you could catch plays[...]
Nick Sun: Joymeat
Nick Sun abhors comfort. The fact that either he or his audience might know exactly where they stand is anathema, and he’ll do anything to subvert that. While this particular performance, though by no means conventiona[...]
Adrian Calear: Code Grey – Adventures In Public Health
Never mind the quality of the gags or the power of his storytelling, this show is little more than miraculous – because for Adrian Calear, just being able to be on stage is astonishing. For in his 39 years he has near[...]
Harley Breen: Personal Space
As a bold psychological experiment in the concepts of space and solitude, Harley Breen locked himself in a bathroom for 42 straight hours. What he learned… has almost nothing to do with this show. Forget the high conce[...]
Jamie Kilstein: Revenge Of The Serfs
Jamie Kilstein has opinions. A lot of opinions. So many, he can barely get them out, jabbering away as if stuck on fast-forward, getting so excited by the passion and intensity of his own ideas he jiggles on the spot lik[...]
Adam Hills: Mess Around
Adam Hills’s audience rapport has always been his greatest strength: and with this year’s Melbourne festival show he vowed to make the most of it, with what’s advertised as an hour of unscripted messing around. Tha[...]
Reviews
Headliners: Tig Notaro, Mitch Fatel, Jeremy Hotz
Here’s an attractive proposition: three visiting North American comics, each of whom could easily sustain their own show, performing on a mixed bill. Demands of the US pilot season means few comics could commit to the month that doing the Melbourne festival would normally require – hence Janeane Garofalo’s withdrawal from the programme – hence [...]
Des Bishop: My Dad Was Nearly James Bond
If you think this is really the in-depth story of how Des Bishop’s father, a jobbing character actor, nearly got to be James Bond, prepare for disappointment. He was specially asked to audition for 007 in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, such was his promise, but in the end George Lazenby got the gig. Erm, that’s [...]
Justin Hamilton: Idiot Man Child
It’s ironic, given the underlying theme of this show, but the word that best describes Justin Hamilton is ‘professional’. In smart suit, he cuts supremely poised figure, backed up with a slick and well-constructed show, delivered with personable confidence and skilful timing that guarantees the laughs. Yet while he is the consummate comedy pro, Idiot Man [...]
Nick Sun: Joymeat
Nick Sun abhors comfort. The fact that either he or his audience might know exactly where they stand is anathema, and he’ll do anything to subvert that. While this particular performance, though by no means conventional, goes pretty well, you can almost feel him fighting the urge to throw a spanner into the works. But he [...]
