Reviews: Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Sat, 1 Apr 2000, 12:21 pmWalter Plinge8 posts in thread
Reviews: Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Sat, 1 Apr 2000, 12:21 pmThe 14th Melbourne International Comedy Festival has begun, and Stage Left has just posted 6 reviews at stageleft (with more to come). Here are some extracts:
ADAM BLOOM (UK): "In between his tumbling conversations and jokes about train etiquette, childhood and religion, his mind loops off on complicated and extreme 'what if' scenarios. You can see the hyperactive child he used to be."
COOL HEAT, URBAN BEAT (USA): "Cool Heat is far from dry. It's a vibrant pastiche of street and club dance spanning most of the twentieth century, and herein lies its greatest wit."
BOOTHBY GRAFFOE (UK): "Unfortunately, all three of my signals were flashing like mad for Boothby Graffoe's act on the second night of the Comedy Festival. Which is a shame, because he's actually pretty funny."
STEWART LEE (UK): "His material addresses some disparate themes. He talks us through the brilliant retorts we should have made but actually think of hours later... in his case it always ends with misunderstandings and the police becoming involved."
DAVE O'NEIL (Australia): "So Dave grew up in the 80s, stashed away the memories of school, the dole and the pub so he can make a living today taking the piss out of it all for the newer generation. He must have travelled a fair bit in that time (on his BMX, at least) because he promises he will trash every suburb in the course of the evening."
TOM RHODES (USA): "For some reason Tom Rhodes reminds me of an old-style revivalist preacher, pacing the stage with powerful American accent and microphone in hand. His lively irreverent delivery borders on the offensive, a kind of South Park approach to stand-up."
For the full reviews, visit our site:
Tim Richards
Editor
Stage Left
ADAM BLOOM (UK): "In between his tumbling conversations and jokes about train etiquette, childhood and religion, his mind loops off on complicated and extreme 'what if' scenarios. You can see the hyperactive child he used to be."
COOL HEAT, URBAN BEAT (USA): "Cool Heat is far from dry. It's a vibrant pastiche of street and club dance spanning most of the twentieth century, and herein lies its greatest wit."
BOOTHBY GRAFFOE (UK): "Unfortunately, all three of my signals were flashing like mad for Boothby Graffoe's act on the second night of the Comedy Festival. Which is a shame, because he's actually pretty funny."
STEWART LEE (UK): "His material addresses some disparate themes. He talks us through the brilliant retorts we should have made but actually think of hours later... in his case it always ends with misunderstandings and the police becoming involved."
DAVE O'NEIL (Australia): "So Dave grew up in the 80s, stashed away the memories of school, the dole and the pub so he can make a living today taking the piss out of it all for the newer generation. He must have travelled a fair bit in that time (on his BMX, at least) because he promises he will trash every suburb in the course of the evening."
TOM RHODES (USA): "For some reason Tom Rhodes reminds me of an old-style revivalist preacher, pacing the stage with powerful American accent and microphone in hand. His lively irreverent delivery borders on the offensive, a kind of South Park approach to stand-up."
For the full reviews, visit our site:
Tim Richards
Editor
Stage Left
Reviews Batch #2: Comedy Festival
Mon, 3 Apr 2000, 02:09 pmWalter Plinge
The 14th Melbourne International Comedy Festival is rolling on, with 180 acts this year. Stage Left has just posted its second batch of 8 reviews at , with more to come. Here are some extracts:
ARCTIC BOOSH (UK): "The whole story has the feeling of a Goodies episode, with a dash of Men Behaving Badly for good measure. Whimsical and silly rather than satirical or cutting, Arctic Boosh is an amusing phantasm..."
NORTH DARLING (Canada): "A box labelled 'Irony' floats to his island, and inside he finds a glass dome with a miniature version of himself stranded on the same island. Perhaps not ironic as much as cheap gag. But the gag works the crowd nevertheless."
ROD QUANTOCK (Australia): "He promotes the marvels of chalk, if only because it's quicker to say than 'black-tipped whiteboard marker'. Then he speculates that the 14 seconds saved with the e-tag at McDonalds is exactly how long it takes to buy the said whiteboard marker."
SASSY (Australia): "A combination of Hope's energetic bug-eyed theatricality and Richard's cutting, gossipy stage persona was always going to be an interesting match... the patter flows between them in an unforced and lively way."
MARGARET SMITH (USA): "After several days of seeing only male comedians, it is very refreshing to get a female perspective on comedy. Instead of falling back on jokes about masturbation and beer, we get mothers, mammograms and gardening."
JOHNNY VEGAS (UK): "He's the epitome of the washed-out has-been performer: bitter, desperate but somehow likeable. He tells of his days as a holiday camp entertainer and the tragic end to his career, and his solace in the simple potter's wheel."
WAIT A MINUTE... WHAT? (USA): "Much depends on the audienceÂ’s engagement with Andrew, the hapless technician. It is here that the show falters. Though a lot of information is offered, the character of Andrew doesnÂ’t quite gel."
SUE WATT (Australia): "Sue Watt's style is broad and raucous. She invites participation from audience members, asking for the names of TV shows that depict nursing for her to eviscerate. Her deft handling of a persistent heckler was a delight to witness."
For the full reviews, visit our site:
Tim Richards
Editor
Stage Left
ARCTIC BOOSH (UK): "The whole story has the feeling of a Goodies episode, with a dash of Men Behaving Badly for good measure. Whimsical and silly rather than satirical or cutting, Arctic Boosh is an amusing phantasm..."
NORTH DARLING (Canada): "A box labelled 'Irony' floats to his island, and inside he finds a glass dome with a miniature version of himself stranded on the same island. Perhaps not ironic as much as cheap gag. But the gag works the crowd nevertheless."
ROD QUANTOCK (Australia): "He promotes the marvels of chalk, if only because it's quicker to say than 'black-tipped whiteboard marker'. Then he speculates that the 14 seconds saved with the e-tag at McDonalds is exactly how long it takes to buy the said whiteboard marker."
SASSY (Australia): "A combination of Hope's energetic bug-eyed theatricality and Richard's cutting, gossipy stage persona was always going to be an interesting match... the patter flows between them in an unforced and lively way."
MARGARET SMITH (USA): "After several days of seeing only male comedians, it is very refreshing to get a female perspective on comedy. Instead of falling back on jokes about masturbation and beer, we get mothers, mammograms and gardening."
JOHNNY VEGAS (UK): "He's the epitome of the washed-out has-been performer: bitter, desperate but somehow likeable. He tells of his days as a holiday camp entertainer and the tragic end to his career, and his solace in the simple potter's wheel."
WAIT A MINUTE... WHAT? (USA): "Much depends on the audienceÂ’s engagement with Andrew, the hapless technician. It is here that the show falters. Though a lot of information is offered, the character of Andrew doesnÂ’t quite gel."
SUE WATT (Australia): "Sue Watt's style is broad and raucous. She invites participation from audience members, asking for the names of TV shows that depict nursing for her to eviscerate. Her deft handling of a persistent heckler was a delight to witness."
For the full reviews, visit our site:
Tim Richards
Editor
Stage Left