Flacco – Releasing the Imbecile Within
For Flacco’s performance at the Cornish Arms Hotel, “Releasing the Imbecile Within”, he was perfectly supported by the lovely disarming Bedroom Philosopher, Justin Heazlewood. I cannot think of a better choice. Justin has performed a lot of comic poetry and loves to play with words. He sings beautifully and wanders off on surprising flights of fancy. As well as singing his wonderful songs such as “I’m so PostModern”, and my favourite “I’m so over Girls” he used a lot of silly props and worked his butt off winning the initially guarded crowd over successfully.
Paul Livingston has been performing as Flacco for twenty years. Most people remember him from The Big Gig, Good News Week, or with The Sandman in many shows including “In Siberia Tonight”. The last time I saw Flacco perform live and solo was in 1999 at the last Cheese Shops at The Prince Pat, for which he flew down from Sydney specially. I’d forgotten how talented and mesmerising he could be. I have never seen him do a full show on his own and am amazed that this show has not graced the Melbourne Comedy Festival despite the fact that it was first performed last year. The show was based upon a ‘self-help’ parody book he wrote in 2003 called “Releasing the Imbecile Within” and it was absolutely stunning. He opened with a sort of pre -show ramble and introduction letting us know that this bit wasn’t part of “The show” and to mark the beginning of the official show he had the lights go off and on again. The show itself was performed in the style of a self-help seminar and was tightly structured and densely funny with lots of clever, surprising, sharp and whimsical wordplay.
There was a fun interval half way through where he took on the persona of a working class labourer on a break/smoko whingeing about his job, then he did some gratuitous mucking around and after a flicking on and off of the stage lights, straight back into the show. The only sad part was how empty the venue seemed. A place that could hold 300 people with only 100 in it, I couldn’t believe that more people didn’t come. It was really a comic genius at work and it’s sad that Melbourne comics didn’t turn up in droves to learn at his feet.