More Comedy Festival reviews

The 2008 Melbourne International Comedy Festival continues apace. I shall probably die at the end of it. Or collapse of liver failure. Or something.

SHANE WARNE THE MUSICAL - a work in progress
Eddie Perfect's musical tribute to the boofhead bad-boy of Australian cricket is having five run-throughs at the Comedy Festival. Judging from what I saw on Friday, it needs them. The show's too long, and its narrative needs work, especially in the second act. It doesn't seem to have a real ending, and unless you're a cricket tragic, there's a lot to slog through before you get to the SMS and diet pill scandals ,which I suspect are what most people will be waiting for - I'd suggest opening with a taste of the doom that is to come, then present the first act in flashback, in order to get around that. Nor was I all that impressed with the songs to be honest: too long and not catchy enough. On the positive side, Perfect is a charismatic performer, matched with a strong cast - particularly the woman who plays Simone, his long-suffering wife - her second-act torchsong suddenly revealed an all-too-human heart beating beneath the show's satirical epidermis. It will be interesting to see how much the show is altered after this development process is completed...
Two occasional chuckles out of five.


The Hound of the Baskervilles in Every Film Ever Made
Fast-paced and very funny, this show manages to both satirise and celebrate cinema in a way that provokes hoots of laughter, thanks to its three irreverent and charismatic performers and their obvious love for the films that they're acting out. Simple props, great banter and deft physicality ensure a rib-tickling time for hardcore film buffs and popcorn-lovers both, although some obvious ad-libbing occasionally detracted from the show's tight pacing. Definitely one to catch; especially if you missed it in Fringe last year.
Three and a half hearty guffaws out of five


Asher Treleaven - Cellar Door
In which some truly awful literature is mocked for the public's edification and amusement by a charismatic performer with an endearingly floppy fringe and a droll, dramatic delivery. The only problem is, we already know this stuff is bad; we don't really need Treleaven to further skewer it for us. A solid performer, but it felt a bit like he wasn't really challenging himself with this particular show...
Three snickers out of five.


Anthony Menchetti in Gay Conversion School Drop Out Volume 2
A stand-up show about what happens when you put a group of sexually frustrated gay men in a room together in an attempt to try and 'cure' them of their same-sex attraction. Menchetti is a solid, engaging performer, and many of his stories are genuinely funny. Unfortunately the show seems almost over-produced, with too many props and gimmicks cluttering the stage and slowing down the pacing, requiring Menchetti having to strain in order to achieve the tempo he's aiming for.
Three knowing chuckles out of five.


Allsop & Henderson's The Jinglists
This talented pair of performers were last seen in the delightfully deranged sketch-comedy, A Porthole into the Minds of the Vanquished at the 2006 festival. In this new theatre piece, they give us a glimpse instead into the heads of two agrophobic jingle-writers, trapped inside their small apartment together and acting very strangely indeed. Characterisations are superb, as is timing, set design and musical interludes. Sadly the show's ending felt somewhat anti-climactic, but I'd still recommend this show highly if you like your comedy lunatic, emotive and sweetly grotesque.
Three and a half bouts of manic hilarity out of five.