Ha ha arrrrrgh

This comedy is killing me, I tell you.


JASON BYRNE - Jason Byrne Cycled Here
At last year's Melbourne International Comedy Festival I walked out of Jason Byrne's show about three qaurters of the way through, bored and annoyed by his constant belittling of his audience. Back then I wrote that "his main strength lies in interacting with and occasionally humiliating his audience rather than in especially innovative comedy". It's a comment I stand by, although this year his shtick seemed less venomous - more laughing with than at. With some fairly simple material - best summed up as 'oh you Aussies and your whacky slang' - fused with audience interaction taken to a extreme (ie dragging a guy on stage and turning him into a ventriloquist's dummy) and some anecdotal comedy about moving to the country that came out of nowhere, this is an uneven but sporadically enjoyable show that entertains, but which by no means evolves, enhances or advances the stand-up form.
Three occasionally amused giggles out of five.


MARK WATSON - Can I Briefly Talk to You About the Point of Life?
Well, no, actually - not if you're going to be as inspid as you were tonight, Mark. You're a nice enough guy, but there was nothing of any substance in your show that endeared you to me or made you stand out from the crowd. If I want nice, there's Adam Hills. If I want observational comedy about strange things that happen on public transport, there's my own life. Quite frankly, I was often bored, and only occasionally engaged - and in all honesty, that was mostly because of your accent.
Two and a half middling chuckles out of five.