Stickybeak \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/strong>
Festival Hub, Trades Hall, Quilt room, until October 15<\/strong><\/p>\n
Sometimes all a show needs is minimal props (three tiny fences made of rusty corrugated iron, white picket timber and broken fake bricks and milk crates) plus a whole lot of talent.<\/p>\n
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Stickybeak runs until October 15.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>NickMickPics<\/cite><\/p>\n Kimberley Twiner, Jessie Ngaio, Laura Trenerry and Patrick Dwyer are a bunch of clowns. Their physical comedy, at times, literally moves at snail\u2019s pace. It invites us to take a stickybeak at an assortment of characters \u2013 human and animal \u2013 that live beyond those fences.<\/p>\n Delightful buffoonery ensues as a delectable, steady stream of zany yet relatable skits and interactions unravel. The over-arching thread allows us to eavesdrop on a neighbourhood. You could find yourself doubled-over \u2013 with laughter \u2013 as dogs bounce about doing their business, cats beg and purr for attention, teens flirt and adults peep into each other\u2019s lives. Stand-out scenes include a spine-chilling toddler tantrum and a perfectly annoying fly.<\/p>\n Stickybeak<\/em> is brilliantly paced and it\u2019s a rollicking, silly, well-played, joyous ride. COMEDY\u2028<\/strong> If you\u2019ve ever wondered what it\u2019s like to date an AFL player from the \u201990s, STUD<\/em> plays the part of a stage simulation run amok.<\/p>\n Winner of Best Comedy at Melbourne Fringe in 2022, and taking out the gong for Best Newcomer at this year\u2019s Melbourne International Comedy Festival, in his latest hour Aiden Willcox crafts a psyche that is repugnantly boorish \u2013 honing in on a myriad of alpha-male, hyper-masculine stereotypes.<\/p>\n STUD runs until October 8.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Belinda Anderson-Hunt<\/cite><\/p>\n Pacing the stage with a Johnny Bravo bravado, Willcox attempts to serenade and seduce the crowd through song and sketch. It\u2019s enjoyable character comedy \u2013 but nothing that hasn\u2019t been mastered before (think Zo\u00eb Coombs Marr\u2019s all-conquering Dave). The toilet humour, as well, overstays its welcome and becomes wince-inducing.<\/p>\n STUD<\/em> is akin to a one-night-stand in your 20s with the titular character: fine enough, but nothing you\u2019d tell your mother about. COMEDY\u2028<\/strong> Nick Robertson wants to get something off his chest \u2013 so, he\u2019s written his first show. After charmingly professing that \u201cthere\u2019s a magic in storytelling,\u201d he relays a 45-minute tale of adventure and mishap.<\/p>\n Robertson mainly mines a singular experience \u2013 being deported from Scotland \u2013 to find the funny.<\/p>\n As the story unfolds, the laughs come with repeated mentions of \u201cthe best film of all time\u201d, his mother and his favourite free-to-play tile-matching online video game.<\/p>\n Leave to Enter runs until October 8.<\/span><\/p>\n Robertson\u2019s likeable demeanour adds a little shine to the story. He quickly recovers each time there\u2019s a slight fumble or minor stumble.<\/p>\n A Backstreet Boys soundtrack laces the honest account with nostalgia, while the use of a screen and basic graphics is entertaining and effective.<\/p>\n So, what is the best film of all time according to Robertson? Well, I wouldn\u2019t want to spoil the surprise COMEDY<\/strong> The show begins nearly half an hour later than scheduled due to another performance running overtime in the venue. Sure, I think, it\u2019s like a punk or metal gig, where runtimes are usually slightly off. But when Death Metal Boomer<\/em> eventually begins, Dan Brader immediately launches into improv.<\/p>\n Death Metal Boomer runs until October 8.<\/span><\/p>\n It takes a while of audience banter to enter the show proper, not long after a loud Canadian guy and his friends egg Brader on to do a shoey after finding out he\u2019s from New Zealand. He obliges, then proceeds to perform the entire gig shoeless.<\/p>\n The show itself is unmemorable, with many self-deprecating \u201cgee whiz I\u2019m Kiwi\u201d piss takes alongside some quite misogynistic jokes. This could very well be the titular \u201cdeath metal boomer\u201d personified, but because Brader never contextualises this he really could be any questionable white guy. Even so, why don\u2019t we leave those relics to fade into obscurity? As he repeatedly reminds the audience, he\u2019s 40 years old. The death metal scene now is\u2014if one bothers to observe\u2014much more progressive. It\u2019s 2023: punch up, not down. COMEDY<\/strong> This is probably the kind of comedy gig you need to be drunk to appreciate. I certainly wished I\u2019d socked down a few. The premise is intriguing enough. Comedian Cameron Ribbons hosts his own funeral in the guise of a dodgy pastor. The promise of a murder mystery hovers in the air, and the audience is invited to guess the culprit as details of the artist\u2019s demise are revealed.<\/p>\n
Reviewed by Donna Demaio<\/em><\/p>\n
STUD | Aiden Willcox \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2028<\/strong>
Melbourne Town Hall, until October 8<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Reviewed by Tyson Wray<\/em><\/p>\n
Leave to Enter | Nick Robertson \u2605\u2605\u2605<\/strong>
Festival Hub, Trades Hall, Evatt Room, until October 8<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Reviewed by Donna Demaio<\/em><\/p>\n
Death Metal Boomer | Dan Brader \u2605\u2605<\/strong>
Caz Reitop\u2019s Dirty Secrets, until October 8<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Reviewed by Cher Tan<\/em><\/p>\n
Eulogiser Bunny | Cameron Ribbons \u2605<\/strong>
Trades Hall, until October 8<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n