28 March – 22 April, 2012
So here is my first foray into reviewing a non-musical format. I’m not a connoisseur of stand-up comedy. I generally go to one show per year (during the festival) and I don’t really own any stand-up DVDs apart from ones by Eddie Izzard and Bill Hicks. The reason I say all this is that my opinion on the subject should probably not have serious attention paid to it. But this year I happened to attend four shows during the festival, which I feel the need to write about, so I am. So, feel free to read on if you like, but don’t be too hasty to tell me that I don’t know what I’m talking about (I already know, I told you).
Performer: Stephen K Amos (UK)
Show: Laughter Is My Agenda
Details: Tuesday 10 April, 2012 – Melbourne Town Hall (Main Hall)Stephen K Amos, from the beginning of his performance, made everything clear. He named his show, Laughter Is My Agenda, because it was his job, in the hour that he had, to make us, the audience, laugh. Even if he only got one laugh out of us, he had done his job. While his brand of comedy is quite generic, the kind designed for mass appeal, it was a thoroughly enjoyable show. I laughed; not at everything, but I laughed enough for me to tell people that he was good. I think he could have done more with the idea of, “everyone has some kind of agenda”. The idea seemed to be an excellent starting point, full of potential, but became a little muddled and eventually lost towards the end of the show. I’m glad I saw the show. Would I see him again? Probably not, unless a bunch of friends are going and peer pressure gets the best of me.
Performer: Daniel Kitson (UK)
Show: Where Once Was Wonder
Details: Thursday 12 April, 2012 – The Playhouse (Melbourne Arts Centre)
What can I say about Mr. Kitson other than that I believe him to be the best comedian in the world right now (maybe even my favourite comedian ever). I have loved everything I have seen this man do. Previously, I had only seen his storytelling shows, 66a Church Road: A Lament Made of Memories and Kept in Suitcases and The Interminable Suicide of Gregory Church. These storytelling pieces are distinct from his stand-up work because they are much more akin to monologue theatre. They are funny in parts, but the occasional comedic elements only serve the story, rather than the other way around. So, it was with great anticipation that I came to see this show, Where Once Was Wonder, having only experienced his stand-up work through a couple of recordings and old television appearances (Kiston has no DVDs or albums of his work available). The show was absolutely brilliant, not only have I never laughed so hard at a show, but I’ve also never been forced to question and think about my own thought processes like this show forced me to. Over two hours (which, honestly, felt like half an hour) Kitson dissected and mused over how we position ourselves in the world and the silly way we go about defining ourselves and try to be distinct amongst a world of people trying to do the exact same thing. He did this through three personal anecdotes, which, on occasion, did wander off into huge tangents. These tangents though, were always totally relevant and always made a certain point that Kiston was trying to explore through his core story. The structure of the show was astounding. Kitson began by laying down some of his core beliefs, his thoughts about life and comedy and the personal world he inhabits. As the show progressed, very subtly, cleverly disguised through each of his three core stories, Kitson methodically tore apart those core values he stated at the beginning and by the end of the show was championing the exact opposites of the thoughts he had so definitely stated earlier, highlighting the contradictory nature of us all, which is essentially the key theme of the show. While all of this might sound like it’s a bit heavy for a stand-up comedy show, Kitson managed to deliver it in such a light-hearted, occasionally goofy, occasionally childish, occasionally moving manner that the jovial nature of the performance seemed to infect the crowd immediately. And that is Kiston’s true genius. Through all the laughter and silliness, he makes you think, even if you don’t know you are. I can’t recommend his work highly enough. In fact, get some of it now, here (the stand-up shows are quite old, not as daring, but still good, what you should be getting is The Ballad of Roger and Grace, a storytelling/music piece he did with musician and friend, Gavin Osborn, that is unbelievably funny and moving at the same time).
Performer: Tim Key (UK)
Show: Masterslut
Details: Sunday 15 April, 2012 – Fairfax Studio (Melbourne Arts Centre)
Ok, I’ll be honest. I saw this because the title made me laugh and it intrigued me. Then I did some research and found out that Key is an Edinburgh Comedy Award (formerly Perrier Award) winner, one of the most distinguished awards in live comedy. I also found out that he’s one of the more revered comedians amongst comedians. He seems to be one of those guys that all the comedians love, or are in awe of, but the general public (at least, here in Australia) haven’t quite cottoned on yet. So how was he? He was excellent! His show isn’t pure stand-up. There is a lot of poetry, some videos, some music, some interactive audience games, a bit of theatre, a bath and a whole heap of silliness. Key’s humour is one of dry wordplay. Often the audience will not laugh immediately at a joke until it sets in and registers. It’s not the kind of in-your-face power and energy that most stand-up is. It’s quieter, more ruminative, and some may argue that it’s more ‘arty’. Masterslut does seem to have more in common with a theatre piece than it does stand-up, but it is an excellent show and had me laughing all the way through it. He’s the kind of odd-bod comedian that I love. Not to everyone’s taste, but I’ll be seeing him again if, and when, he comes back.
Performer: Claudia O’Doherty (Aus)
Show: The Telescope
Details: Friday 20 April, 2012 - Regent Room (Melbourne Town Hall)
This was another one that I saw because most comedians that I’ve seen have, in one way or another, said, “Go and see Claudia O’Doherty! She’s Brilliant!”. And you know what? She was! This show was completely bizarre. It’s impossible to describe. It’s the kind of show that, in the wrong hands, would have completely fallen apart and turned into complete rubbish. On several occasions, this show could have been a disaster. But Claudia O’Doherty justified all the praise she has been receiving. She is brilliant and best of all, different. There’s a danger to her performance. While I was watching The Telescope I couldn’t believe that someone had been audacious enough to try and make a show like this, but I was also completely stunned that she not only made it work, but made it work in a way that had me in stitches (to the point where the person I was with was nudging me because I may have been a touch too loud). She’s the kind of performer that you hope becomes a huge success because scores of people should be seeing this show. It’s forward thinking, it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen in my limited live comedy experience, and it demonstrates that there are original ideas out there. At the same time though, you get the feeling that she might be a little too far ahead for the general public, which is a shame. She deserves to be seen. She deserves success. She is hilarious and I will definitely be seeing any future show she puts together.
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