Laughing my way through the weekend

Yes, more reviews from the 2008 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and no, I don't seem to be having much of a life outside the festival at the moment, thank you for asking...


NINA CONTI - Complete and Utter Conti
Now this was an unexpected pleasure - walking into a show by a UK performer I knew absolutely nothing about - I had no idea if she was going to do standup, character-based comedy or what. What I got was a raunchy, wry and post-structuralist take on ventriloquism from a highly adept UK comedian. Her partner in crime, Monkey, is a foul-mouthed monkey who complained constantly about Conti having her hand up his bum. A remarkably poignant moment came with Conti taking on the persona of her grandfather, who produced his dead wife out of a box and sat sadly talking to her, holding her hand, for a short sketch that I would have liked to see go on for much longer. The end of the show was wickedly unexpected, and a nice inversion of what had come before. Highly recommended.
Three and a half roars of laughter out of five.


CLAIRE HOOPER - Storybook
A gentley entertaining show from a WA native exploring childhood fables and perspectives, Enid Blyton, parental fates and foibles, and the quest to live happily ever after. Hooper is sweet, and her charm is undeniable, but the show itself seemed lacking in substance, resulting in the production overall feeling a little lightweight and forgettable.
Three soft chuckles out of five.


MATTHEW KENNEALLY'S Ill Thought Through Plan for the World
Melbourne's Matt Kenneally has produced one of the strongest shows I've seen in the festival to date: a wry, witty romp through politics and contemporary life, from feminism to Facebook, religion to environmentalism. Instead of ranting or lecturing, Kenneally mocks and mugs his way through a very tight show that never dragged. Definitely the gig at which I've laughed the most out of all the 24 shows I've now seen to date.
Four constant belly laughs out of five.