Tag: Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Comedy review: Happy Birthday Taylah Whelan

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The audience is seated for Melbourne International Comedy Festival show Happy Birthday Taylah Whelan, and it’s a full house. The entry door opens. A woman walks in. She scans the crowd looking surprised. Then she thanks us for coming to her birthday party. She’s turning 26. 

Right from the start Whelan spills snappy one liners that have the audience in fits of laughter. 

Whelan grabs a drink from under a nearby audience member’s chair and takes a swig. Then she looks at the label. It’s called A Drink that makes you Reminisce. At first she resists, then gives into it and climbs on the stage. And we are introduced to to the world of Taylah Whelan. 

Whelan has great energy and comedic timing. She is smart and dynamic, with a self-effacing frank honesty in her delivery. 

It’s Taylah Whelan’s fifth birthday. She’s growing up in Palmerston, a suburb of Darwin. ‘A Place for People’. It soon becomes apparent that it’s probably not a place for Taylah though. Her Irish mother has got her a friend – a talking cat she names Elvis. Dad is an awkward bloke who doesn’t know how to effectively communicate with his kid. 

Each time she has a sip of A Drink that makes you Reminisce, we travel to Taylah at a different milestone birthday. She is twelve, fifteen, eighteen, twenty-one, and twenty-six. Along the way we discover a little more about Whelan. We learn about the formation of her identity through theatrical self-deprecating and insightful delivery. Happy Birthday Taylah Whelan is a laugh out loud show. And did I mention the talking cat?

Happy Birthday Taylah Whelan is crated and performed by the title’s namesake. The show is directed by Kaite Head and produced by SKINT. Set and quirky cat design are by Max Arnold, and voice work by Elliot Wood, Ayesha Harris-Westman and Alex Donnelly

Dust off your party frock and get along to Happy Birthday Taylah Whelan for a cracking good laugh. The show is playing at the Motley Bauhaus in The Cellar till 1st of April. Tickets from Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Comedy review: Cabin Pressure

On By rlsmithwritingIn Reviews2 Comments

Cabin Pressure, on as part of Melbourne International Comedy festival, is a laugh out loud high altitude romp. Climb onboard  Bijoux airlines for a flight to nowhere or somewhere…choose your own adventure. 

This is a show that is totally relatable for anyone who has been on an airplane.  What do you do when you find yourself in a bullet shaped steel tube with a bunch of people you’ve never met, being served by a trolley dolly with a mandate to please? Kick back and enjoy the ride of course. One lucky person will be upgraded to business class.

The show has optional audience participation. I can say hand on heart this element is no pressure and low key. At the performance I went to, those who started with no participation eye masks on (their heads) took them off half way through the show. Several looked like they hoped to be asked to join in the hilarity.

Cabin Pressure is a mix of clowning and immersive theatre. The show has the timing and pacing to give you edge of your seat belly laughs. Go along for gags that will remind you of the absurdity of airline travel. Next time you board a plane you will have a bigger smile on your face.

The show is created and performed by Sunny Youngsmith. Their previous shows include Ned Kelly The Big Gay Musical and Meaty Sue’s Big Farma. 

Cabin Pressure is on at the Motley Wherehaus at 430 Queen Street, Melbourne until 5th April. The venue is conveniently located across the road from Queen Victoria Market parking and near a range of public transport routes.

Grab a ticket for take-off!

Comedy review: BIGFOOT: In Plain Sight

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I saw Handful Of Bugs show (The John Wilkes Booth) at last years comedy festival, and it was great, but this years one person comedy, BIGFOOT: In Plain Sight, takes things to a whole new level.  I would describe this show as a blend of theatre (there’s a plot) with comedy and clowning (for laughs). And it’s a hoot.

Canadian Bigfoot researcher Robert H. McKinley self-published an autobiographical account of his lifelong relationships with Bigfoot. BIGFOOT: In Plain Sight is an interpretation of that work that also explores the ethics of adaptation. The setting is the freezing Canadian wilderness and tells the story of McKinley out there in his shorts, rucksack and hiking boots with his tent and sleeping bag and a big love for BIGFOOT. He wants to prove what he knows to be true – that BIGFOOT is real, and his dad who went missing long ago is still out there somewhere as well. 

And just as you start to wonder where the story is going, there is the most fabulous plot twist that will leave you in jaw dropping hysterics. What is fact, and what is fiction?

Handful Of Bugs theatre company is made up of Alex Donnelly, the performer in BIGFOOT, and his co-writer/conspirator Lachlan Gough who also Directed and did sound for this show. Donnelly led the set, props and costume design. SKINT produced it. Despite the origins of the mythical creature Bigfoot being well known, the show BIGFOOT: In Plain Sight is truly an original piece of comedic theatre, packed full of laughs as well as thought provoking content.

Donnelly is a dynamic and talented comedic actor, with an impressive capacity to switch characters with the flip of a hat (literally) and convey story and emotion through physical theatre. The show is professionally produced and Gough’s Direction ensures a cohesive and authentic work.

I highly recommend BIGFOOT: In Plain Sight. It is playing at the Malthouse Playbox theatre until 20th April, with showtimes at 8.30 pm or 7.30pm on Sundays. 

I highly recommend this trip into mid-20th century folklore and the cultural icon BIGFOOT.

Comedy review: Only If You Love Me

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Only If You Love Me by Nic Davey-Greene, on at the 2025 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, is a clever, dynamic, acerbic musical comedy show.

Davey-Greene starts by challenging the audience – he doesn’t want cheap laughs and fake smiles, he wants authenticity. What follows is a broad ranging hour of original tunes – pop, jazz, county, crooners and ballads – interspersed with narrative satire. He mixes the serious with the absurd, and just a little audience participation (only if you’re in the front row) in a well crafted, dynamic show.

Davey-Greene is, he sings, dating Cameron Diaz – while she is seeing whoever she likes – including his friends and work colleagues. 

A man after my own heart Davey-Greene says he watches question time for fun and gives both Albo and Dutton a grilling – appropriate during an election campaign. He sings about the ‘WOKE’ mind virus and that he likes eating microplastics – they will give you a vasectomy for free, and he has a recipe for turning plastic bags into pesto. 

The pace and topics change frequently from politics to clay shooting, to the dangers of artificial intelligence, to leaving your wife after falling in love with a tractor – a song with visuals I particularly enjoyed. There is something about the performer and his style that is a little reminiscent of comedian Sammy J.

You can catch Only If You Love Me at The Grace Darling Hotel in Smith Street, Collingwood. Shows start at 6.15pm and the season runs 9-13 April and 15-20 April.

Pop in after work or add it to your weekend gigs for an hour of laughs. You can grab a burger at the Grace Darling before the show, or anything else you fancy at one of the great eateries along Smith Street, Collingwood. Get out there and have a laugh (authentic only), I know you want to.

Comedy review: The John Wilkes Booth

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Get to Doubletree by Hilton early for a drink at the bar and to soak up the atmosphere before riding the elevator up to level 1 and being shown to a private room by a French waiter. It’s a French restaurant of sorts – Rue de Toilette in West Heidelberg.

A tall stetson wearing dude wearing black walks in carrying a briefcase and is shown to a booth with plush red velvet seats. Clint (Lachie Gough) is an oil man, or so he says.

Before long all hell breaks loose in this Fawlty Towers meets Lano and Woodley kill or be killed comedy sketch by Alex Donnelly and Lachie Gough who riff off each other and the audience to deliver a laugh out loud high energy comedy show.

Donnelly as Marcel is a conscientious, chaotic and clumsily murderous French waiter. During a gun slinging stand-off the two discover they work for the same agency and have been sent to assassinate each other.

What to do when you’re a ruthless killer with hurt feelings – carry out orders or buck the system?

The John Wilkes Booth is packed full of word play, physical comedy, improvisation and a very clever twist at the end. It is clear that Gough and Donnelly enjoy working together and it brings a natural fluidity to their performance. A polished show of slapstick comedy that will have you guffawing in your seat.

The John Wilkes Booth is showing at Doubletree by Hilton in Flinders Street just across from Flinders Streeet Station until 21st April. Tickets can be purchases from Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Comedy review: The Titwitchez School of Titcraft & Boobery

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The Titwitchez School of Titcraft & Boobery, on as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, is cabaret meets burlesque meets vaudeville meets drag delivered by a troop of trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming actors.

This high energy unconventional school of life is an hour of unbridled guileless fun riffing off good and evil, feminism, transphobia and boobs. Comedy coven duo Emily White and Liv Bell lead the absurdity with tightly choreographed upbeat moves. They are joined onstage by a different set of characters each night – opening night included Darmanatrix who loves a bourbon, a barbecue and a chair dance, Lucy Seale the rollerskating mosquito, and Nicola Pohl the beatboxing janitor whose sweeping was accompanied by an extraordinary range of facial expressions. Oh, and there is an option for a bit of audience participation if you like your moment in the spotlight.

Titwitchez’s is a late show starting at 10.30, but Carlton is such a great spot for a night out that I made an evening of it and caught Ethan Coen’s latest film at the Nova, grabbed a bite to eat at D.O.C then a coffee at Brunette’s before the show. The venue, Motley Bauhaus also has a great little bar if you like a tipple before a giggle.

The Titwitchez School of Titcraft & Boobery is showing at the Motley Bauhaus till April 26th, so there’s plenty of time to grab a ticket for this raucous ride.

Comedy review: Ned Kelly: the Big Gay Musical

On By rlsmithwritingIn Reviews1 Comment

There’s always been rumours about queer bushrangers. They say Captain Moonlite’s dying wish was to be buried beside fellow gang member, his beloved James Nesbitt. So despite the sensibilities of those who would deny it, queer has always been here, and Ned Kelly: the Big Gay Musical is testament to that view.

Written by Kaine, Ned Kelly: the Big Gay Musical is a drag king extravaganza about Australia’s most loved bushrangers. With an original score, live band The Glen Rowans (aka Apex Bloom – comprising Griffin McGookin, BJ Humphrey, Timothy O’Keefe) will get you jumping in your seats with its rocky tunes that start before you’ve even entered the theatre. This show is a fast paced, action packed, all singing, all dancing, gender bending re-imagining of the story of the Kelly gang, and it’s a hoot.

Part of Melbourne’s International Comedy Festival, this original show is written by Kaine, a music comedian from Ballarat. The venue is small, and the set simple, but the cast set the stage on fire. Monique Kerr (Dan), Sunny Youngsmith (Steve), Erin McIntosh (Joe) and Ellen Morning (Ned) deliver flawless performances as the Kelly gang with great energy and synergy. The fifth actor, Sian Dowler was a stand out, switching between multiple roles (the diary, bank teller, leprechaun, police officers and Queen Victoria).

I saw Ned Kelly: the Big Gay Musical last night and it was sold out, but I believe there are still tickets available for the final performances tonight and Sunday 23rd April. So, dust off your favourite sequinned boots or bushranger hat and get along to the Motley Bauhaus in Carlton for some unbridled fun. Find tickets here.

I can also recommend the Green Man’s Arms for dinner before the show.