Reviews: Melbourne International Comedy Festival

The 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