A couple of festival shows are making a return to Melbourne stages over next couple of months. The multi-award winning show from this year’s Melbourne Comedy Festival “Keating” (Barry Award, Golden Gibbo, The Age Critic’s Award) is returning for a two week run in January 2006. I missed this one during the comedy festival and have been strongly urged by many who saw it not to make the same blunder again. For bookings and more information on the show (which is currently billing itself as “the country soul opera we had to have”) go to www.keatingtheopera.com Also making a return to Melbourne is Eddie Perfect in “Drink Pepsi Bitch”. After a successful season at the Sydney Opera House Eddie will be reprising his run at The Malthouse (where he performed a sellout season during the Melbourne Fringe Festival) from the 13th December.
It’s all happening at Melbourne Comedy Festival office at the moment. For those of you planning to participate in next year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival you’ve only got a few days to get your registrations in. Registrations close at 5pm, Monday the 19th December (if you haven’t acted yet, DO SO NOW!). Also soon to be announced on the comedy festival website are the entry details and schedule for next year’s RAW Comedy competition. RAW has been a launching pad for many of our well know comedians and this is an invaluable opportunity for any new comedian. Heats begin around the country in January so check out the website for information on your local heats and go down and support these up and coming comedians. Alternately if you’re a secondary school student or teacher you can check out the details of the upcoming Class Clowns competition which caters to potential comedians from within our high school ranks. For more details on all of these events go to www.comedyfestival.com.au
Speaking of Festivals the results for Melbourne Fringe Festival have just been released. There has been a substantial increase in box office taking with comedy shows featuring strongly in the list of sell out shows. These included Tracee Huthinson’s ‘I Forgive Catriona Roundtree’, Arj Barker, ‘Basic Training’, Eddie Perfect’s ‘Drink Pepsi, Bitch’, ‘Bombay to Beijing by Bicycle’ and The Chaser’s ‘Cirque du Chaser’.
Congratulations to the winner of the “Search For a Funny Bone” competition which wrapped up at The Elephant and Wheelbarrow in St Kilda on the 30th November. After many weeks of fierce battle the spoils finally went to Dave Thornton.
The Australian Film Institute Awards (hosted by Russell Crowe in the shiniest jacket I ever did see) were announced the other day. John Safran vs God took out the gong for Best Comedy Series, beating off competition The Chaser Decide, Comedy Inc and (many pundits’ favourite) We can be heroes. Also facing some stiff opposition The Glass House got the nod in the Best Light Entertainment category ahead of Enough Rope, Spicks & Specks and RocKwiz.
In room news, a new room has opened in Collingwood on the corner of Smith and Gertrude Streets called The Vault. Run by Colin Cameron and featuring, in the next couple of weeks, the likes of Tom Siegert, Dave Thornton and Michael Chamberlin, “The Vault” will be happening at 8pm each Tuesday. Entry is by gold coin donation.
If musical comedy is you thing you should head on down to the Muse Bar on the 20th December. Two of our favourite youngs thing Sammy J and Josh Earl will be each recording CD’s in front of a live audience. The show starts at 7:30pm and is free.
Finally, in squirrel news, this issue is the last issue for the year. We will be returning on the 5th of Febuary, resuming the fortnightly format. I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank all the writers who contributed to The Groggy Squirrel in 2005. It is the mutiplicitous perspective which brings richness to this publication. I would particularly like to thank my right hand chick Lou Pardi, Lisa Clark and Colin Flaherty for their consistent dedication, support and fabulous work throughout the year. I would like to thank all the comedians and promoters who also got on board during the year, writing, doing interviews, getting their listings in promptly (yeah Janet, you win that one, with Chambo a close second), and generally encouraging and supporting us in our efforts. This is a publication that is produced by those people who make up this industry – punters, promoters and comedians – and that is the great strength of The Groggy Squirrel.