A number of comedians trial their shows at Melbourne Fringe Festival, such as Felicia Ward in The Book of Moron and Shaolin Punk in +1 Sword. Some performers create humorous shows, which garner a large enough word of mouth and good reviews, that they make the leap into the Melbourne Comedy Festival and do well without being standup: Telia Neville’s While I’m Away. Claudia’s show is another which made the leap without being standard comedy festival fare.

The premise of the show is that Claudia is the sole survivor of an underwater experimental environment known as Aquaplex. She is now before us to give a presentation about the details of that world and its culture. The point by point lecture style provides plenty of opportunity for laughs. Claudia begins the show by noting that perhaps she isn’t the best person to be ensuring what was Aquaplex is remembered: she is merely the child of a scientist and not one herself. However, her artless presentation ends up revealing an insightful story about their everyday realities through both what is said and not said.

This show uses many familiar tropes from scifi films and cartoons in the 1970s, eg Sealab 2020 or Logan’s Run. Though I suspect it is largely based on the very real events behind Biosphere 2. Everyone enjoyed the quirky and whimsical details used to portray Aquaplex: from the flip chart to the scale model of the complex to the huge number of box dioramas with LED lights inside. Claudia certainly put a lot of work into this show.

Claudia plays an innocent from another culture to perfection. You have to be intelligent to construct such a well-developed world with all of its emotional ins and outs. You have to be intelligent to come up with so many effective comedic moments. Then to play a believably ingenuous and unaffected character without a hint of cynicism is a tour de force. She reminds me of one of my favourite comedians Gracie Allen. I hope this show gets the support to go on to places like the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Pedro Tochas – The Sculptor Clown

Pedro Tochas is an interesting addition to the Melbourne Comedy Festival. His show was produced by Australia’s beloved Adam Hills. It’s comedy, though not standup. It’s aimed squarely at a family audience. It would also do well as part of the Buskers Festival in Adelaide or a circus arts festival. However, what makes this Portuguese performer shine goes beyond his balloon sculpting and has much to do with his relationship with the audience and his ability to tell a story.

Pedro starts off with a few standard balloon figures and jokes to warm up the audience. Then when he sets up a humorous scenario where a young woman is urged to kiss him, and she (unsurprisingly) fails to do so, he launches into a scenario where in the end she will want to kiss the young man he has brought onto the stage. The fairytale he develops is easily grasped and enjoyed by all ages and all genders. The simplicity gives him room to create marvelous balloon creations and many comic moments. He masterfully kept the energy of his performance buoyant, so that any time delay from knotting up a balloon just disappeared.

Pedro Tochas is an exceptional entertainer. I hope the National Institute of Circus Arts based in Melbourne took advantage of his presence for a master class.

Josie Long – Be Honourable

I am a great fan of Josie’s work. She gives the impression of being a great big child out to savour the wonders of the world. Her earnestness is lighthearted and refreshing. Be Honourable is almost like two shows in one and might be better served by being more integrated, though both halves were enjoyable and thought-provoking.

In the first half of Josie’s show she discusses her experiences of dieting. In the process she found herself looking at pictures of food like some people look at pornography. One fellow in particular has a site where he puts up a photograph of what he had for breakfast every day. This gentleman is from the US and his breakfasts illustrate all the excesses and decadence in which some US citizens indulge. Pancakes with M&Ms seemed particularly bizarre. The delightful thing about this story is that we find out all the vulnerabilities and humanity of the man behind these breakfasts and thereby the kindly world-view held by Josie herself, drawing us all into that view.

In the second half of the show Josie speaks about the importance of doing good and becoming involved in the political process. She makes some valid humorous points here, though in the process she disparages her work as a comedian. It takes many people doing many things to have a functioning world. Most work is worthy of respect if it is done with care.

Politicians do not change the world, people change the world. Polticians tend to largely reflect the attitudes of their constituency simply in order to be in an apparent position of power. I am a US-Australian dual citizen. I’m originally from Seattle, so I receive ballots and voters pamphlets from that city in the US. No one in that city, left or right, Democrat or Republican, can get into power except if they support an environmental agenda. Therefore, Seattle has right-wing Republicans who put up initiatives to reduce the green-house emissions in that city.

When Josie told her story about the gentleman who photographed his breakfasts, she also revealed something of his life as a gay man in an area where he has to face various types of intolerance. We learned to care about him. Because we now care about him, we are more likely to want fairer laws concerning the treatment of people in non-standard relationships. Politicians will have to reflect this if they want to play at the top. Voila! Yet another way in which comedy is important to a functioning society.

Xavier Michelides is Happy By Request!

Xavier Michelides is a one man theatrical production. He spent much of his routine talking to himself in a variety of voices. The immediacy of the worlds he created in this way was magic. And as such, when he threw in a little magic realism now and again, the audience readily accepted the extra sparkle. Personally, I believe he should be shown a door marked “come in, write some sketches, shows, maybe even a film for us”. His sense of character development is superb.

Much of Xavier’s material involves common stand-up topics like the girlfriend, hanging with mates, dealing with shopkeepers, etc. Where he shines is the way in which he thinks outside the box and gives us genuinely surprising punchlines. More than one comedian has inserted “ad breaks” into their routines, often producing filmed parodies of existing ads. Xavier creates his own Seussical ads, performing them live with some sound assistance. This is one of the few times I found these performance interstitials funny and genuinely engaging.

Xavier is smooth, professional, and shows great warmth and ease on stage. His routines have the sort of clarity you get on TV from hours of careful editing…and yet he’s doing it live. If you’re going to do straight stand-up, then this is how it’s done. He deserves more media attention.

Peace and kindness,

Katherine

James points out early in his show that (like my own brother) he has a lazy eye. However, I must point out that the lazy eye in no way impeded the many sparkles that twinkled therein. What James has in spades is twinkle-eyed charm.

It’s a valuable skill to get your audience empathising with your anecdotes. What also works well, if it’s not too self-conscious, is a gently added wink or twinkle that brings people along with what the comedian finds funny. I frequently add  a few jokes that are for as much my own amusement as that of my audience. Too much of this and it gets self-indulgent. Yet, just the right amount and you’re expanding people’s idea of what’s funny.

I would also point out that James is a big tease. I could easily have enjoyed another thirty minutes of his show in order to have certain of his anecdotes expanded upon.

He speaks about his grandfather’s life, a man who was a profesional clown and worked with Charlie Chaplin around the turn of the previous century. He then speaks briefly about his own journey toward becoming a clown. I loved his stories of childhood play-acting. He mentions he went to clown school, but then tells us very little of what that experience was like. I would LOVE to know what “pie in the face” training is like. Do they get fitted for giant shoes? And on stage he had a big red nose on his prop table that I desperately wanted to see get used. Otherwise the parallel construction of their two lives was brilliant.

The clown Olympics anecdote was stitch in the side funny. If only I could have heard more of his ideas on how clowns would fit into a variety of sporting events.

I am very fond of laid back joke telling styles. James has that delicious pacing which speaks of warmth and confidence. With the particular material of this show, I believe he could add even more exaggerated gestures and outrageous over-statement. This is what we love about the old silent comedies. In particular his re-enactment of his own opening done 1902 style could have used this. Even so it was a beautiful moment on stage giving tribute to his grandfather while demonstrating how he was carrying one family trade forward.

If you have the time, James is well worth a look-in before the comedy festival wraps up for the year.

Peace and kindness,

Katherine

Diane is a wonder. When I saw her show she had only just come back to the mic after receiving surgery, spending several days in the hospital, and now functioning with the help of painkillers. She’s a real testament to “the show must go on”. Though I have to admit, I’m a bigger believer in the performer must go on. Take care of yourself Diane.

I expected and received no less than a smooth professional presentation with lots of laughs from Diane. Some stand-up comedians feel a little generic. They’re fun, but they are interchangeable with one another. Diane’s work bursts with personality. She has a wide enough and confident enough view on the world that she can bring an original glow to familiar situations, making them sparkle for the audience.

Anyone could grasp her poo, sex, and death jokes, but at no point did any of it feel lowest common denominator. In fact her poo story inspired many appreciative grimaces and guffaws. The secret would be how personal she made her material. I loved her “I wanna be an astronaut when I grow up” story. Perhaps because I was another little girl who weirdly drank all the Tang, ate all the protein chocolate bars, and begged for an astronaut pen for Christmas because she thought space stuff was just so cool.

I really hope next year Diane gets picked up for guest spots on Good News Week, 7pm Project, Spicks and Specks, etc. She would be great.

Adam Hills in Mess Around

The glorious thing about Adam Hills is that he genuinely likes his audiences. He’s neither trying too hard to please, nor in a fierce battle to get you to laugh. He’s there, you’re there; his attitude is: “Let’s have a good time together.” This creates a relaxed atmosphere where it’s very easy to improvise with the audience. And that’s what Mess Around is all about.

This year Adam decided to not script so much of his material and just find out what would happen if he had an extended conversation with his audience. The results are delightful. He still has a few anecdotes and themes to move things along, but they are to serve his interactions.

In the performance I attended Adam discovered that one couple attended the Sydney Gay Lesbian Mardi Gras for their anniversary. He thought that was so funny, he arranged for the husband to be camped up behind stage in order to give the wife a thrill. They both had a great time, as did the audience. Adam certainly made his point that everyone is as fun as a celebrity, given half a chance.

Learning comedians would do well to spend time going to an Adam Hills performance. His skills with rapport are superlative. It’s worth learning how to gain that vibe, because that’s what will give you long term appeal.

Denise Scott in Number 26

Denise Scott attracted an interesting audience to her show Number 26. I suppose it’s not surprising she had many women in the audience. HOWEVER, standup comedy until recently has not been considered of interest to women, and this audience had women from their teens to their eighties. The men were largely in their middle ages, but I sat next to a young man in his early twenties. It’s gorgeous seeing such a broad section of Australia coming together for a laugh. It’s also a real testament to Denise’s skill and appeal.

Number 26 is a deeply personal journey through Denise’s life from when she and her partner purchased their house (number 26), and were about to have their first child, to the present. She discusses the trials of starting out in life, dealing with her children’s illnesses, living through affairs, and finally having to move her mother to a hospice. This is the sort of stuff that can potentially grind people down to sad and/or angry husks. Her humour provides the perspective and resilience to see these dips in life through and remain available to those moments of pure joy.

Personally, I would like to see more of Denise on film or TV. She’s an Australian icon at this stage, and yet I think her style of humour would carry well to North America most certainly and possibly to Great Britain. I know I’ve had her in mind on two occasions for some screenplays of my own.

Peace,

Katherine

Ricketts Lane has already won several awards, received five star reviews at Edinburgh Fringe, and played a sell-out season in London’s WestEnd. It’s a fine piece of comic storytelling, illustrating a large tale with only two characters: Sammy J the tall fellow with the bottle brush hair and his pal Randy the purple-headed puppet.

Events begin with Sammy waking his room-mate and best friend Randy in order to inform him that perhaps someone has broken into the house. Sammy then paints a picture of his life as a lonely tax lawyer with no future prospects. The plot starts rolling when Sammy is given the opportunity to crack a tax fraud case.

It’s rare to see a story that takes such a Kafka-esque trajectory to events. Things start out bad, then just go to worse in a circular manner. There’s no bankable happy ending, but the humour is strong and consistent, making the show an enjoyable romp. Unlike Kafka however, this show gives a sense that perhaps this is what the characters deserve.

The night I attended this show the performers experienced a couple of technical difficulties. At one point Sammy lost his mobile phone across the stage and at another the puppeteer’s radio mic batteries ran out. I’m sure comedians may feel uncomfortable when I point things out like this, but it’s important for other comedians who are still learning. Despite the accidents of the evening, the performers managed to keep the audience on side and the story rolling.

This is no mean feat. I specifically took courses in TheatreSports in order to manage such events should I experience them. Effective improvisation skills, particularly in comedy, are an absolute necessity. Things are going to go wrong upon occasion and you need the wherewithal to cope.

A major component of improvisation is feeling confident enough in yourself and confident enough in your understanding of your character and the story that you are willing to step out and commit yourself to unscripted actions. This is not magic. It just requires practise, practise, practise. Bravo Sammy J and puppeteer Heath McIvor

Tripod in Tripod Versus The Dragon

In the last couple of years we seem to have had a spate of Dungeons & Dragons based comedy shows. Mind you, Tripod has always had a thing for this game.

These shows often spend some time explaining how the system works. It’s a geek thing. No geeks worth their salt will let you drive the technology, play the game, etc without opening the bonnet and explaining in great detail how it works (which, I suppose, is what I am doing here concerning comedy). Tripod restrained themselves a little, but honestly they could have thrown the whole surrounding “playing a game” story out and just focussed on the fantasy, which was funny enough and fulfilling enough on its own. That being said, TripodVersus The Dragon is a great show.

Tripod are very much into theatricality. They enhance their tale with the use of interesting lighting, ominous shadows, and cut-out puppets. The equipment was basic and inexpensive, but the effect was powerful. People have become so used to expensive special effects, that they have forgotten how engaging even the simplest of effects can be when coupled with a genuinely entertaining story. I regularly get complimented for the box with dry ice and a flashlight that I used for Time Titties. Comedy seems to be the last bastion of where an audience’s imagination is respected rather than spoon-fed.

Tripod’s musical skills have been improving over the years. Not only is the song writing sharp and the lyrics funny, but their harmonisations soar. The addition of Elana Stone as another singer/actor to their story was a superior choice. She nearly upstaged the boys with her effortless smoky vocals. She certainly had the audience crowing for more. As a comedian if you can write songs, I would say go for it. A one-liner loses it’s interest once people know the punchline. A funny song with a catchy tune can be listened to over and over again.

Finally, I am particularly impressed with how much maturity Scod, Gatesy, and Yon brought to their characters. Our culture needs better stories. We’ve been stuck in “might makes right”, even when it’s from the underdog, for too long. Gatesy’s lament at having killed an orc is marvellous. Scod’s wizard character regretting the horrible consequences of following his desire for power is a relief. And Yon’s humorously wise nudges just rounds things off. I also like the message that perhaps being a bard is better than being a fighter.

Peace and kindness,

Katherine

Josh is another Gen Y charmer who has given cynicism the boot. His relationship with the Australian Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Book is one of pure joy: joy at the anticipation of having a cool cake for his birthday, joy at the hilarious family events surrounding making said cakes. He moves smoothly from story to original songs to multimedia presentations, keeping the pace light and breezy. At no moment does the energy in his show lag.

I was especially impressed with Josh’s effective use of technology. I have seen a number of comedians working multimedia elements into their shows with varying results. Often the show loses its warmth, its focus, and has a choppy feeling to it. I also feel that if I wanted that much multimedia, I would have stayed at home in front of my TV or computer. When I pay money for a live show, I expect to connect with a real human being.

At one point in the show Josh creates a situation where he is apparently calling his mother live in order to talk about her cakes. Scripting and execution are so seamless, you could almost swear this is a real event. This is when technology is used as it should be for a theatrical performance.

I hope I will continue to see live performances from Josh Earl in the future. I also believe TV producers should take note of this young talent and get him on as a writer. He understands the realities of telling a story that is both warm and full of spectacle.

Sarah Bennetto in The King and I

Sarah Bennetto is a storyteller par excellence. She does not impress one as the stereotypical storyteller, but she keeps her audiences on the edge of their seats. Last night she regaled us with her story about actually being invited to a party held by Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace.

Her adventures and misadventures were hilarious, but I would say her sense of wonder, character, and drama were what kept everyone keen to find out what happens next. It was lovely meeting through Sarah’s words the Welsh gentleman who regularly wrote in to her little show on SkyTV. I loved the palace butler who did his best to calm her nerves and introduce her into the party. And our wildcard gentleman who worked at the Australian Consulate provided some of the best punchlines.

When I took a course in standup in Adelaide, the instructor explicitly forbade us to tell stories, because he said they didn’t work as comedy: people only want one-liners. At the time I was flabbergasted. What about Bill Cosby or Garrison Keillor? Storytelling may indeed have fallen out of fashion for a time and certainly doesn’t work as well at comedy theatres that specialise in hens and bucks nights. However, it is coming back. London has storytelling clubs now and in Melbourne we have Willow Tales at Willow Bar (one of my very favourite venues).

I first met Sarah at Jeez Louise women’s comedy conference last year. Because of that meeting I returned to comedy with a story. I was overjoyed to finally see her perform this year. She is an active proponent of this art form and deserves respect for her support of others as well as her own fine performances.

Kent Valentine in Fablemonger

Kent Valentine is another storyteller. Though, rather than a single sustained story, he tells a string of inter-related stories that are made cohesive by a strong theme.

This sort of storytelling can be a lot of fun because you can weave in sub-plots, running gags, even use your mosaic of tales to develop your own or others characters. In this case we get a series of snapshots of what it’s like to be an Australian family man in London.

Kent’s performance is smooth and professional. We get a sense from his very first words that we are in safe hands. Part of this comes from learning early on that he is quite a humane character. I find nothing wrong with a comedian venting some spleen, but that spleen can become outright misanthropic and unpleasant in the wrong hands. Kent can blow some steam and we all just appreciatively nod. I would say, he should probably re-think his computer game story, since the ending doesn’t lead to the usual Kent wisdom. But overall here’s someone I would have a cup of tea with any old time.

Andy Muirhead in Saturday Night at the Library

I am a great fan of Andy Muirhead’s The Collectors on ABC. It’s such a jovial way to end the week. His Saturday Night at the Library wasn’t what I expected, but was nonetheless another delightfully jovial end to the week.

I have to admit I was expecting to be led on a tour of the amazing collections at the State Library. He would tell us something fascinating about various objects while throwing in several jokes. Evidentally, he is doing this for the museum tours and brought some of the jokes from that event over to our own.

What we were treated to was a year in the life of Andy Muirhead, and it was an endearingly intimate journey. He brings amiability, ingenuousness, and vulnerability to his comedy. Those are qualities that remain fresh with audiences. We could all feel the hurt when he spoke about breaking up with his girlfriend, and sympathise largely because he’s generous enough to not vilify the woman, but simply bemoans the vicissitudes of life. His presentation was clean and unforced. At no point did he seem to skip a beat. This was a very polished performance.

After the show I hung around because my friend Janet just happened to be there. Andy bemoaned the fact that he had accidentally missed bits. It’s delightful to hear these sorts of things, because it just points out how at times we are too hard on ourselves as comedians. Perfection in memory and perfection in performance are not the same thing. If you forget a bit, but flow on with what’s working, no one but you ever notices, and you can still bring down the house.

Peace and kindness,

Katherine

I love watching the pros at work and I will continue to review them when I can. It’s highly instructive to analyse what’s working for someone who is at the top of their form. HOWEVER, these people don’t need my publicity.

The upcomers are the ones who will pour their guts out to give you a good show. They are accessible and friendly. It’s also great to make friends with them now, so you can say you knew them when…  Your support ensures in the years to come we will have new innovative performers who keep us entertained, not boring reruns of the same old stuff that’s no longer funny.

Your willingness to experiment and watch even one new act each comedy festival goes a long way toward supporting Australia’s vibrant comedy industry. So please, please read the reviews for the little guys and give someone a go.

Bart Freebairn I would say is on the medium-rare side of things. He’s still working his way up the ladder, but he’s been around and has a following. His show A Breathtakingly Magical Journey into the Ordinary is anything but ordinary. During his performance he asked if any of us had the “Magic happens” sticker. Really he should be selling “Magic is where you find it” stickers. Perspective is everything, and he demonstrates this with his charming and quirky stories about life, childhood, and family.

The show starts with a white-bearded wizard sitting on the stage in a pose similar to an arcade oracle machine. He plays an electronic organ in a mystically menacing manner, then serves to provide a dramatic entrance for our comedic hero. Clearly Bart is fashioning himself as the Harry Potter that didn’t go to Hogwarts. Throughout the rest of the show the wizard provides a nice counter-point to Bart’s reflections and insights.

Felicity Ward uses the same dramatic trope in her show The Book of Moron. Only she has a friend playing a dog who lays at her feet as she reads her stories. As a comedian, if you can get someone to fulfill this sort of role for your show, go for it.

At the last minute I was able to do the same for Strange Blessings. The advantages are: you have an extra set of hands to help you set up and take down your show, someone actively responding to your work in a postive and/or useful manner can add warmth to your performance, the spare person can also cue the audience in how to respond and serve as their surrogate without recourse to heckling. I would also say that it’s GREAT having someone with whom you can commiserate when a show doesn’t go to plan or numbers are low on a Tuesday night.

I suspect Bart will be doing very well in the future. Gen Y seems to have a very particular taste in their comedy, which is only just beginning to assert itself. No doubt TV and and films will begin to reflect this in about five years time. I say five years because big media tends to play chicken with new trends and waits for someone else to blink and give something different a try.

Bart’s comedy shows an understanding of the harsh realities of life and yet focuses on the whimsical. We all have to laugh and play, if we are going to successfully make it through life. We all have to cultivate big imaginations, if we are going to come up with the solutions that will make life even a little bit better. I love this stuff. Hurrah Gen Y!

Bart talks about trying to magically move things with his mind, but that doesn’t bring the smile to his and our hearts as does the tiny acts of kindness his grandfather showed toward the physical difficulties his grandmother faced. That’s a special kind of magic.

I can highly reccommend A Breathtakingly Magical Journey into the Ordinary. It’s full of charm and wit. I’m also deeply grateful to Bart for his promotion at the end of his show for the up and coming comedians. Thank you.

Peace,

Katherine

Recently Justin has done something of a Tim Minchin. Wanting to distinguish himself from Jemaine Clement of Flight of the Conchords, he has opted to update his seventies tossled-hair and mutton chops look for something perhaps more memorable. He now appears like a 1980s David Bowie with glasses. If he starts strutting around and saying, “You remind me of the babe,” we are in big trouble.:)

I was stationed at the back of the room in order to sell the CD this tour is launching, as well as an older CD, t-shirts, and ties. He is wise to have such items for sale. I have found these are the sorts of things that give an audience a chance to extend their pleasure of the event and support the artist.

I’ve professionally published on the Web since it’s inception. I have observed in particular a number of comic strip artists finding their feet in making a living online. Accepting advertising hasn’t been terrifically successful. Sponsors have been unwilling to offer much support and their ads clutter a site and make it less interesting to view. Direct sponsorship by readers achieved through a number of means can work, depending upon the popularity of the strip. Though, even the most successful reader-supported artist is eking a living. What seems to work best is a combination of techniques that heavily includes merchandising of the strips with books, t-shirts, mugs, soft toys, etc. I have heard the same is true for musicians.

I have heard some musicians say that the bulk of their money does not come from sales through the music companies, but through touring and merchandising. Comedian Ross Noble’s reputation comes largely through word of mouth and sales of his DVD.

I know that some artists find this a bitter pill to swallow. They feel cheapend by “commercialising” themselves. Lord Byron achieved artistic freedom and “purity” solely because he was already a wealthy man when he began writing. You can be free and still allow others the opportunity to support your work. How good is a monk in a monastery when he never tests his goodness against the rigours of every day life? Artists can still choose to speak their minds and speak their truth while accepting money. Over time we will see if they have the courage of their convictions.

To me the real test is how much care is put into the products, how much service is offered to the customers, and the ethics of your sales methods. One of Justin’s things is retro ties. So for his show he put together a collection of good quality secondhand ties that were then adorned with the words “The Bedroom Philospher”. Not only were the ties charming, people could enjoy their character and help the environment through their continued use.

I enjoy flirting with customers like most people flirt with babies. There’s no pressure to buy, but it’s a lot of fun hanging out by the sales table, and people are much more likely to go, “Oh what the heck”. We did pretty well on the night. One comment that came up was that people said they could just buy their favourite songs online. Which is true, but it’s not quite as financially supportive as buying a CD, though more environmental. Justin and I spoke about his putting together a DVD of his live show. His songs are fun in and of themselves, but I have to say that his Spike Milliganish patter while performing the songs really brings them to life. It might also serve to give him that Ross Noble boost in word of mouth. Eventually, the net may scuttle this income stream as well, but for the moment it’s a good strategy.

I would suggest to all comedians wanting to make a living of their art to consider how they can merchandise their act. This will require thinking even more deeply about what you are doing as a business. You will need to do some long term planning, learn how to manage stock, bookkeeping, and accounting. If you are lucky, you may find someone who can do this for you, but most of us will have to start out by doing it for ourselves. However, I will say that it needn’t be onerous. I’ve done it, and once you get into the swing of things, even flaky artists can manage.

Peace and kindness,

Katherine

The Marion Hotel has a nice comfortable space for the performers to strut their stuff, nothing outstanding but certainly pleasant. I would say I like it better than HWY for coziness. The two pitfalls for the night were 1) not enough audience and 2) too many drunks who ended up taking over the show. If I were Craig, I wouldn’t let myself get too attached to that venue. Perhaps find something in North Adelaide.

I’ve been wanting to write about how to deal with heckling, but haven’t felt experienced enough yet to say anything. To be honest, I am SO grateful I am free of such experience. Last night was painful and I felt nothing but sympathy for the comedians. Now I can write about what worked and didn’t work for them, and perhaps we can at least all learn something.

Rich Naberhood

The host for the evening was Rich Naberhood. You would think with his emphasis on bogan humour as an Elizabeth boy, he would be a natural with the crowd we had. His name is meant to be ironic. However, the instant he said, “I’m Rich Naberhood,” the drunker part of the audience turned on him in a sort of peculiar class war. His humour is a relaxed sort of “meat and potato” style of joke telling. The little girl who sat near me (thank God for one delightful audience member) laughed very hard at some of his one liners. At another venue his working class humour might have had more universal appeal.

The problem he had was that with his relaxed style, he tended to give people time to laugh. Those empty spaces were leapt upon by the drunks as their moment to spout off insults. He would then wait for them to finish, which just gave them more time to spout off more insults.  At one point he asked if the fifteen minutes for his opening routine were up. He sounded like he needed rescuing. So, I checked my watch and said that yes they were. I hope he took that in the  spirit it was intended: a tiny life ring for him to bail long enough to catch his breath. When Rich came back for his next routine he definitely stood his ground better. Perhaps I will see him again sometime when he has a more supportive audience and is given a chance to shine.

Jason Pestell

After the disastrous opening all of the comedians were wary and cut their performances a little short. I was impressed with Jason Pestell’s efforts to make friends with the most vocal heckler by offering him a beer. His word play was delightful, “That was a juice joke…concentrate!” He even threw a kid joke to the little girl. I really like Jason’s material. I’d love to see him smile more while he’s delivering it.

Michael Princi

Michael Princi did the most to quieten the crowd, but not through any special effort. His humour just acted as a natural tonic to calm people down. He was witty; easily accessible; didn’t resort to sex, violence, or body humour; and maintained a snappy pace. This gave the drunks nothing to latch onto. They couldn’t add anything to his jokes, nor did they have the time to do so. Bless you Michael. I’ve always found your humour charming, last night I could have kissed you for helping to rescue the event.

Rob Hunter

Rob Hunter was the comedian for whom I came. He was the 2005 Raw Comedy SA winner and has written for the TV show Spicks and Specks. He projects a boyish character with a psychotic edge. He must have had lessons from Spock the way he was flapping that left eyebrow up and down. His wordplay was clever and, my litmus test for the night, he had the little girl in stitches. I swear he humorously barked like a deranged terrier at the chief heckler, after which the hecklers again remained pretty much quiet. I adore off-centre silliness and Rob served that up in spades. I will have to attend one of his solo shows in the near future.

Average The Band

Our last act thankfully was a crowd pleaser. Average The Band came on and performed a set of goodhearted boganish songs. I’ve seen these guys before with a third member performing support for Tripod at The Gov. They remind me of Bill and Ted from Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, only older and with more facial hair. Their songs were tuneful and deceptively clever despite the outer suburb aura.

I would happily see all of the comedians I enjoyed last night again. I don’t know that I would go out of my way to see them at the Marion Hotel. Speaking with Rob Hunter after the show he pointed out that there’s a difference between a simple heckler and a drunk. A heckler is wanting a little attention, a drunk is just making a nuisance of themselves. I could see his point. I’ve seen both Ross Noble and Stephen K. Amos do glorious things riffing off of a responsive audience. I’ve seen several comedians die attempting to cope with drunks.

I sense that each comedian needs to develop their own methods for working with hecklers as suits the persona they have created. However, drunks need to be universally ignored and not given the time to embarrass themselves. Personally, I would say these venues need to take more responsibility for their drunks. First, they aren’t supposed to serve intoxicated individuals and, second, they should have a trained bouncer on hand to see someone off the premises if they are bothering other patrons.

To all who performed last night I hope the small group of enthusiastic fans you had at the front of the venue helped to make the night worthwhile, because your performances were certainly worthwhile.

Peace and kindness,

Katherine

Through Sesame Street they brough literacy, numeracy, and a message of inter-racial harmony to the children of the world. This is no small feat when in our information age an education means the difference between being a have or
have not.

Through Fraggle Rock these two then sent messages concerning the attitudes, beliefs, and social skills that lead to world peace. This was done through truthful demonstrations of events and their consequences. Jim and Jerry were always careful to avoid pedantically hammering propaganda into children’s heads.

All of their work spoke of the values of joy, laughter, friendship, kindness, respect, and most importantly love. Never do they deny we all have to face grief and suffering, downs as well as ups. They simply pointed out that by focussing
on these values life will be easier, more enjoyable, and a little better for everyone.

With happy anticipation I flew from Adelaide to Melbourne in order to see the live Austalian touring production of Avenue Q. Avenue Q is NOT a Jim Henson Company production, but it was put together by puppeteers who worked for the Henson Company. This show was a hit on Broadway winning Tonys for Best Musical and Best Book.

The characters were engaging. I was particularly fond of Trekkie Monster. The song and dance numbers were catchy and well choreographed. I was interested to see they didn’t worry about people seeing the puppeteers or their mouths moving. The puppets were brightly coloured, the puppeteers in grey, which was sufficient to make the puppeteers invisible to the audience’s attention. This is the tack I take with my soft toys Mbulu and Kiki for my standup routine.

Some of the puppets had two people manipulating them. This is no easy feat, requiring the puppeteers to know each other, the puppet, and the character of the puppet well enough to bring it smoothly to life. The performers of Avenue Q showed superior skill in this.

I was pleased to see they brought in Australian and New Zealand cast. David James, recently seen in Hollowmen on ABC and playing Harry Secombe in the theatrical production of Ying Tong, was particularly delightful as the character of wannabe comedian Brian. New Zealand musical performer Cherine Peck also did an exceptional job of playing “Gary Coleman”.

The story follows a simple and traditional trajectory: we learn how characters’s lives aren’t working, something changes, then they are all better off. The problem is, I didn’t believe the ending.

The creators seemed to be struggling with some very big issues. On the one hand are the messages sent to the US public by its political, religious, and media institutions. On the otherhand we have what people are genuinely experiencing of their lives.

I do not feel the creators had sufficiently separated flawed messages from experience, nor in the process found any profound insights. The results were the audience came away from Avenue Q feeling the songs were fun and funny, but the show was dissatisfying. And trust me, I did ask others how they felt.

The show began with a song about how everyone’s life sucks on Avenue Q. We then have a song about how we need to accept that everyone’s a little bit racist. Men do not take equal responsibility for their relationships and at no point during the show change this position. Women sing about how we hate the people we love.

The change in the show comes when one character decides he can get his girlfriend back, not by apologising and not by demonstrating his relationship to her is a priority, but by giving her the school she dreamed of founding. He
sings that you help yourself by helping others. But he starts his mission by taking money from a friend who has been forced to live on the street. He does spawn community involvement, but other than Trekkie, none of the characters
really engages with the core issue behind the school, and money alone is seen as the answer.

This is a deeply cynical show. With the final song the theme seems to be: life sucks, you can’t really change anything (except perhaps if you have money), we all have to learn how to cheerfully cope. I found Avenue Q not only disappointing but disturbing.

The whole rags to riches mythos of the US is a hollow dream. The creators of Avenue Q understand this, but don’t understand why, nor offer any alternatives. We simply see the contrast between what people feel they should be and what they are. Without knocking down this mythos and others—all we are going to see is sadness. The wrong measuring stick is being used on the characters of Avenue Q.

Jim Henson and Jerry Juhl understood our true wealth comes from the life affirming relationships we forge with friends, family, community, and the people of the world. Yes, money is important, but it is only one small piece of life’s processes. The characters of Avenue Q barely connect with one another. Sex, money, and alcohol are used as substitutes. Life purpose is seen as something that descends from without, rather than something you choose while loving and living with others.

Because Ghandi believed in a free India, others who also believed joined him in peaceful protest and created a change. India is now a nation free of sovereign rule. Because Martin Luther King Jr believed people of all races could live as respected equals within the US, others who also believed joined him in peaceful protest and created change. All members of US society now have greater access to civil rights. None of these people merely “coped”. They took positive, compassionate action. They sought change through love…AND SUCCEEDED!

On the same day as I saw Avenue Q I saw a single word graffitied on the pavement outside the National Gallery of Victoria. The peach coloured letters were formed in a lovely cursive hand. The word they spelled: Optimism. Cynicism breeds apathy. A bit of optimism can change the world.

Peace and kindness,

Katherine

Justin Hamilton

Justin Hamilton, one of the founders of Adelaide Comedy, did the MCing. He is currently based in Melbourne and announcing for Triple M. I took his course at Jeez Louise in MCing and now had the opportunity to see him demonstrate. What I most appreciated about his method is its effortlessness. I’ve watched some MCs fumble with names and make stuff up about upcoming acts. They obviously hadn’t done their research. I can understand this when they have come from out of town and been handed a bunch of names for people they’ve never seen perform. Nevertheless, it’s worth shaking hands with the other comedians before the show, checking on the pronounciaion of their names, and asking for at least one detail about themselves. Justin was beautifully graceful in ushering people on stage, ensuring the audience’s energy was up and expectant for each performer.

Justin was adept at delivering Australia’s favourite comedy style: a bit rough with a big heart. He was also handy with colourful tales about the flaws and pitfalls of modern urban life, another Australian favourite. His story about a
friend’s descent into mundanity was hilarious and left me wondering, what is the price of tiles these days? I would also like to credit his caricaturisations. He does just enough to help the audience visualise the humour in any situation, making the scenario vivid and memorable.

Big Al

I have seen Big Al perform on several occasions. Last night was not his best. But golly, I wish my off nights were as good. He projects loveable teddy bear so well. The audience just enjoys his company whatever he’s saying,
and would probably be happy with a recitation of his grocery list. Just like real estate agents talk about “location location location”, comedians need to realise how invaluable are likeability and persona.

I have to say that it’s also a relief to hear a comedian making jokes about what’s working in his relationship or at least affectionately making jokes about a partner. I find a steady diet about the war between the sexes wearying. I’m wondering if we should send all comedians to relationship therapy before they are allowed to say something nasty about intimate friends.

Jason Chong

I find I’m becoming increasingly interested in the concept of family comedy. Many blockbuster films fall into this category: Mrs Doubtfire, Shrek, Austin Powers. These films are meant to appeal to both adults and children, and get
their huge ticket sales from people showing up for a family night out. We have a few comedians who have a similar appeal in this country, eg Lano and Woodley, Adam Hills, and Ross Noble.

Jason Chong could easily slot into this category and benefit from the greater numbers families can afford. His humour has a boyish charm that adults find engaging, and children cack themselves.  He brought back a song he performed for
Adelaide Fringe two years ago involving costumed dogs to great effect. My favourite moment was when he started telling jokes using…a pimped Optimus Prime Transformer mask! Be still my geeky heart. Jason is someone who would carry over onto TV well.

Jeff Green

I have written about Jeff Green before. He is a consumate expert at the one-liner. His style is polished without losing any humanity. I can highly recommend him for a consistently good night out. A proportion of his material I saw at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. What interested me in watching the evolution of his material is how he started with some of the harder-edged jokes that probably worked well in London, then in moulding his routine for the Australian audience it became rough-edged with a heart. These Aussies, ya gotta love ‘em. If we could only bottle that spirit and sprinkle it over audiences around the world.

I was also fascinated how he took note of  comments I made about Adelaide before the show. Only a couple hours later he wove jokes into his routine based on my comments. In this way he  personalised his performance for the locals. That’s real mastery. That’s what you expect from a seasoned veteran.

Peace and kindness,

Katherine