A Poke in the Eye 15/12/00

I'm not sure who actually claims credit for this one, but apparently this is a monthly 'supper-show' (BYO) at the Mt Hawthorne Masonic Hall, sometimes going by the alternative title 'The Bruce Brothers'. The bill iconsisted of 3 acts, each doing 2 sets with an interval.
First on and MC for the night was Jon Doust, self-proclaimed funnyman, whose personal credits include continuing appearances as 'Dr Coolbreeze' in an airconditioner commercial. His routine was a mixture of corporate coolspeak, corny cliche and confrontational comedy which went on rather too long. At times, he managed to connect with the audience, then once he had them, he seemingly couldn't wait to dump them again.
Next up was Peter Capp, the Bard of Fremantle (so-called because he has been barred from every pub in that city) with his quirky mixture of yarnspinning and bush poetry that has rightly earned him the title of State Champion Yarnspinner for several years running. Cappie rolled out some of his original 'oldies' but, judging by the reaction of the fresh audience, 'goodies' in his trademark laconic larrikin style.
Third on the bill were Bob Rummery and Phil Grey, who told ostensibly true stories about legendary characters from the timber and mining industries in WA. These were punctuated here and there by songs, self-accompanied on accordion and guitar. While the stories were quite interesting, there was little in them for the audience to identify with and the general reaction seemed to be 'less talk and more music please'.
At $10.00, this wasn't a bad value show although I would have liked to see a little more of a professional touch.