The Groggy Squirrel

One Person and a Microphone – Stand Up Shows

Sometimes the hardest thing to do in comedy is also the simplest. Strip away the props, songs, dances, poetry, characters and all the other theatrics and you’ve got straight, pure stand up. Here we preview some of the acts which will feature artists standing on stage armed with just a microphone and their wits in order to make us laugh.

One of the big international acts gracing our stages this spring will be making his second Melbourne Fringe appearance this year. Internationally acclaimed Arj Barker will be bringing his laconic Californian wit to he new show Dig. Promising to bring us a deconstruction of the comedic process, Arj is someone who rarely fails to deliver and comedy fans would be well advised to take this opportunity to have an unseasonal look at one of comedy’s biggest names. Arj will also be touring this show regionally after Fringe.

Tym Jeffrey, the name behind the recent successful Melbourne comedy room “Political Roundup”, is taking on the world of politics again in his new Fringe show ...and now for the news Tym will raising the hot topic of media laws and how they operate within our modern democracy.

Carl Barron best known to many Melbournians from TV and DVD’s will be bringing his gentle observational perception to the fringe with his show Walking Down the Street. This show, from one of the masters of the everyday, promises a mixture of styles from storytelling to characters. It should be well worth going to see this quintessentially Australian comic take to the stage.

After bringing us “Couch Potato” at last year’s Melbourne Fringe Festival, Jules Wilkinson is bringing us a show all about her quest for love in Dude Where’s My Girlfriend. This is unlikely to feature a cameo from Aston Kutcher (apparently he’s not a lesbian) but Jules will take us on a journey that promise to tell you everything you ever wanted to know about lesbian turkey slapping.

Who better to take us on a calm, rational exploration of the ill’s of this troubled world than the ever frenetic Duff. In his brand new show I’d like a nicer planet please, Duff is trying to figure out what to worry about and whether or not to worry at all. Also expect a fair helping lunacy thrown into this unique comic’s show.

Joanne Brookfield will be taking us on a journey of a rather intriguing topic, how she once couriered human remains. Her new show Joanne Brookfield presents Ten Thousand Eight Hundred Words Thereabouts, Give or Take also promises, as the title suggests, to be delivered in 10,800 words. This is a short run of only three shows so get in book for shows early.

Stepping out in his first solo show Dave Thornton is bringing us his new show What…Me Worry?. Dave is concerned about the state of the world, the state of his life, and the state of his bank account and is taking the audience on a journey as he tries to find some answers.

It’s Funny Cos It’s True – Shows Mining Real Life

In year eight English we were all told the same thing by our teachers when stuck for ideas of what to write about: “Just write what you know”. Here we look at a few shows which draw on personal stories and personal passions to bring us their tales.

Andrew McClelland is making a return visit with his critical success of the 2006 MICF Mixed Tape. Andrew is promising a new, extended remix of the show which is described as a “celebration of music…with jokes”. Directed by Alan Brough, “Mixed Tape” only has a three night run so get in early if you don’t wanna miss out.

David Heffron raises the salient point: “why is the way of Dr Who considered more pathetic than barracking for Collingwood?” In his fringe show David Heffron: Nerd Alert! David will be exploring the wonderful world of being a bona fide geek, coming to the conclusion that “nerd” is the new black.

Andrea Powell is taking on a theme which rings loudly for many of us. In How Do You Like Your Eggs Andrea will be scrutinising the wide and wonderful world of dating, “from medieval courtship to the internet”. Directed by Colin Batrouney with dramaturge by Judith Lucy, this show from one of Melbourne’s most enduring comics will also taking a short run of only seven shows so once again get in early.

Mel Sargent is taking on a big job in her new show Judgemental in which she will attempt to guide us through the Australian Legal System. Newly graduated Mel is now “officially Legally blonde!” and she’ll be sharing her expertise as she gives us a taste of what the legal system is really all about.

Lawrence Leung is another one who be making a return run with his Comedy Festival Show Lawrence Leung, The Marvellous Misadventures of Puzzle Boy. In this show Lawrence takes us on a journey “about the love of puzzles and the puzzle of love”. Critically acclaimed at the MICF this is again a show with a short run which is sure to be popular with fans, so get in early.

Also making a return is Damian Callinan with his 2006 Comedy Festival “Piece of Wood” award winning show Spaznuts. In this show Damian takes us on a testicular Tour De Force, mapping out a personal journey of dealing with infertility, with many laughs along the way. Highly recommended.

Finally, making his much anticipated solo debut, Tommy Dassalo is taking on one of the most contentious and troubling issues of our age, as he gets to the bottom of all the facts about chicken parmiagiana. In his new show Tommy Dassalo – The Universe is Parmagiana Tommy takes us on a personal odyssey as discovers whether or not “our nation’s favourite dish: the humble Chicken Parmagiana” can really change his life.

Character Work

Comedy has given the world many wonderful characters: Mr Bean, Cosmo Kramer, Basil Faulty, Con the Fruiterer…Well, maybe not all of them were fantastic, but here are the characters that are inhabiting this year’s Melbourne Fringe.

Afraid People features Hazel Curtis, a self affirmed expert on fear, barging in on the lives of nine people (all played by Petra Kalive) to help them overcome their fears. A Mrs. Doubtfire meets Dr Phil , Hazel is “oh so wrong” in her treatment of this profoundly delicate subject. This piece of Mockumentary theatre is edgy, entertaining and unashamedly unsettling.

After a successful season during the Comedy Festival , Justin Kennedy brings us his ‘Golden Gibbo Award’ nominated show Beelzebuzz – The Director’s Cut . Justin plays all 16 characters to tell the tale of the stranded party boat ‘The S.S. Beelzebuzz’. Justin explores the fine line between man and maniac as well as the age old question, “If someone trashes a boat and nobody dobs, who cares?”

Join Kate McLennan for The Debutante Diaries , her one-woman character comedy about THE event on any High School calendar – The Debutante Ball. Experience the tears, tantrums and trauma of a world where losing your virginity in a two-man tent at the after party is romantic and where the struggle to fit in at school is only matched by the struggle to fit into that halter neck dress you bought on EBay.

Luke Whitby’s Hellfire Sale is a one man show about the devil and what happens to him the week he decides to retire. That’s right, he’s over it. He’s been there too long. It’s time to move on. Fusing character comedy, multimedia and a smidgen of drama it tells a funny tale about going away drinks at one of the most unlikely of work places.

Colonel Roderick Carter is Australia’s greatest hero. Hunting With The Colonel tells the tale of a man who’s 400 years old, tough as nails and mad as buggery. If he hasn’t shot it, screwed it or sired it, then it isn’t part of Australia’s rich cultural heritage. John Robertson presents this Equity Guild nominated, one man show that’s stocked to the brim with violence, puppetry, old men, singing beer bottles and at least one penis .

The wait is OVER! Direct from America, celebrity self-help guru Dr. Alex McFarlane visits Australia! Dave Bushell presents his debut solo Fringe show I Can’t Help Myself bringing Dr McFarlane to life and exploring the world of Self-Help.

After taking the Comedy Festival by storm earlier this year at Upfront and Raw, Selina Jenkins brings us Introducing Beau Heartbreaker . As Beau, she brings us a show of hilarious storytelling and catchy tunes about his family, life on the farm and his lack of luck with ‘the ladies’.

The fashion industry comes under fire in the show Mayhem in Milan featuring big assed models, Supermodels with inflated egos and Fashion Designers that lack creativity. Plastic surgery addictions, gay love triangles, bribery, manipulation and modern slavery. This Fashion Week is headed for disaster!

A regular feature at Melbourne Fringe, the characters of Mr Al and Mr Nick return in Mr Al & Mr Nick’s (Cell) Block Party . After years of doing the festival rounds Mr Al & Mr Nick have set their sights on the small screen and have spent most of the year putting together a sit-com to set late night television ablaze. Now all they need to do is find a buyer. Be among the first (and potentially the only) people to see Mr Al & Mr Nick’s contribution to 50 years of Australian television. It’s 60 minutes of entertainment squeezed into 90 minutes!

The Man in the Lab Coat is back! Science-ology takes audiences – kicking and screaming if need be – into the passionate and wonderful world that is the true heart of science. Through experiment, music and sheer enthusiasm, Ben McKenzie, the Man in the Lab Coat, will show the world that science rocks.

From New York City to Knox (city) Joan and Cynthia are Shamelessly Parading . These two deluded raconteurs and noted fashion disasters, attack their captive audiences with bizarre views and original songs on everything from support hosiery to psychoanalysis, from offstage ‘goings on’ to biblical epics in the scout hall.

Making his first appearance in the Melbourne Fringe Festival Chris Starbuck is arrogant and obnoxious as Marcus Green in his coming show Marcus Green vs. the Poor. As Marcus Green he will be explaining how we would all be better of without those pesky poor people.

Mirth With Melody – Musical Comedy

Musical comedy is one of the fastest growing genres in Melbourne comedy. Some of our most talented young comedians are carving out places for themselves within this genre, crafting unique characters and personas and coupling these with musical skill and originality.

Amongst the line up of musical impresarios at this Melbourne Fringe we have bizarre German duo Die Roten Punkte (The Red Dots). Their self titled show Die Roten Punkte from Otto and Astrid, the brother and sister team with a ‘questionable’ relationship, is hot on the heels of the launch of their new CD, their “Best Of album – Die Roten Fahrten (The Red Journeys)”.

The Drowsy Drivers are giving audiences one last chance to enjoy their much celebrated musical Keating! A free festival club event “Keating!” will be performed once only on the 29th September, so don’t miss this chance to catch, for the final time, this much travelled, much awarded, critically acclaimed show.

Sammy J is following up his “Best Newcomer” award at the 2006 Melbourne Comedy Festival with his brand new show Cyclone. In a show which promises “music, film and partial nudity”, Sammy will be taking us through the moments leading to the onslaught of a cyclone. Going on his last festival outing this is definitely one to catch this Fringe.

The Bedroom Philosopher is returning also for his Fringe Festival show “The Bedroom Philosopher in ‘Living On The Edge…Of My Bed’”: http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/season/2006/show/356/. This show is described as “a brand new solo show of classic alt-folk anthems and neurotically erotic hyper-vague bohemian only-child theatrical madness, enabling an intimate tour through the feverishly complex mind of this passionately awkward Folkstar”. I don’t really know what to add to that.

VIP are taking on popular culture “one celebrity chef at a time” their new Fringe show V.I.P in Lies, Non-Sense and Celebrity Chefs. This musical trio are returning after their debut at the 2006 Melbourne Comedy Festival with a show that is promising everything from “the Hoff” to “texting under the influence”.

Funny Buggers Making Stuff Up – Impro

Melbourne Fringe has always featured a tasty selection of improvised entertainment. Here are this year’s shows to satisfy your hunger for unpredictable laughs.

Vanessa Bennett has a solo improvised show called Bodysnatcher . Vanessa will embody an array of different personas each night, inspired by objects brought by you… much like a psychic channeler, but without duping you for money. It will be interesting to see what weird and wonderful objects the punters bring along and what inspiration they will provide.

Performed by an impro crew that features Ian Messig, Evan Jones, Janelle Koenig, Adam Vincent and Rob Lloyd, No One Lives Happily Ever After is an improvised multi-media comedy as Casanovas, cohorts, villains and vixens vie for survival based on YOUR suggestions! With a title like that, there are sure to be some creative ways of killing off the characters.

Whilst not being a improvised show in a strict sense, Split does employ a improvised structure in its performance, being quite similar to a choose your own adventure story. Armed with a large number of predetermined scenes, ‘Look Twice’ put the direction that the story takes into the hands of the audience, ensuring that the show never plays the same way twice.

An annual fixture of Melbourne Fringe, Theatresports returns to it’s spiritual home at Theatreworks for its Fringe season on Sunday nights. Impro Melbourne will present a classic game of Theatresports, pitting four teams of improvisers against one another playing all your favorite games. Be careful that you don’t get hit by the flying lollies between rounds!

Ensemble Shows

Why just see one comedian on stage when you can see two or more. Here’s some shows featuring performers joining forces to bring you laughs.

Ben Sutton and Rob Campbell have joined forces to present a show called A Little Bit Like . The boys describe it as “a one hour rollercoaster ride of sketches, stand up and short films, all bound together with an undercurrent of deep hatred. Hilarious? Definitely. Violent? Possibly.”

Three up and coming comics have pooled their talents to bring you “an hour of politically incorrect, irreverent and plain wrong jokes.” Short Bus to WrongTown features stand up by the mischievous Clare Turner, the off beat Paul Jones, and the just plain wrong Benne, ensuring it will be a show for lovers of dark humour.

The Tickle Club is a Sunday night event at the Festival Club presented by The Six. It is a comedy variety night exploring comedy beyond the stand-up circuit, combining characters, cabaret, dance, puppetry, physical comedy, sketch and good old fashioned vaudeville. Guests such as Sammy J, Wes Snelling, Jessie Griffin, Die Roten Punkte and Damian Callinan will join The Six’s off the wall character creations to provide a great end to your week.

Theatrical Laughs

Who said comedy and theatre are mutually exclusive? A number of Melbourne’s comedic talent are presenting shows that are set in theatre, yet deliver the laughs. Here are those offerings at this year’s Fringe.

After a successful season at the Comedy Festival, Double Pump Producement bring A Son of your Own back for Fringe. It is a play in which Brian’s parents have decided to adopt him out. Only, he’s 24 years old. So when adoption doesn’t work out, parents Lloyd and Erma launch a marketing campaign to get rid of him for good.

In what should be the show voted most likely to be investigated by ASIO, Al-Qaeda SAVES Christmas 2 :The Bollywood Musical (in Hebrew) takes the joy of Christmas and hilarity of international terrorism to create a fun filled family spectacular! It promises a different outcome each night and plenty of musical madness.

Debuting at the Comedy Festival, Scott Steensma’s Comrade Consumer is a show that takes the audience on a tour of an Australian museum of the future, commemorating the 2036 Civil War. With Scott as your tour guide witness a re-enactment of the storming of the Jam Factory in the famed battle of South Yarra, ask ‘state approved’ questions to avoid an on-site firing squad and be able to dob in other audience members to the secret police.

A classic struggle between good and evil, DeadsHit tells the story of Raymond, a dead man who has died, but not yet passed over. Heaven’s courier Gabrielle and Satan’s rep Damien have both arrived to collect his soul. Who should Raymond choose? This show stars Jamie McCarney, Kate Simondson and Ged Cogley.

The world of Speed Dating is the basis for the play Love At Fast Sight. Written and performed by Olivia Ansell, this Mockumentary style play will speed you through the rules of flirting, dating and mating in the 21st century… Find out why this Jewish pastime became a global phenomenon. Incorporating sketch comedy, mad capped movement and satirical wit, [witness] dozens of characters twist and outsmart their way through the dating jungle.

After shows such as ‘Holy Sissies & Sluts, Batman!’ and ‘The Exfoliest’, indie-art-terrorists Sissies & Sluts present BARRIE , a tongue in cheek interpretation of the film ‘Carrie’. Be prepared for the absurd, the horrific and plenty of pig’s blood in only 2 performances at The Spanish Club.

A small cinema screens the Sherlock Holmes classic The Hound of the Baskervilles to a cult following once a month. Tonight the film hasn’t arrived…however the three staff on-hand don’t want to disappoint the loyal audience and they do know the film back-to-front so they decide…THE SHOW MUST GO ON!!! Adam McKenzie, Tegan Higginbotham and Rob Lloyd have taken on the task of re-enacting Sidney Landfield’s 1939 film, playing all 20 characters and condensing the 120 minute classic into one hour.

After showing us ‘The Magical World of Patrick the Servant’, physical comedy trio The Squirth are performing the show Sherlock the Vampire Slayer . In 1891 England, Sherlock Holmes and Watson attempt to unravel the mystery of the theft of the Bagenbury Jewels. Featuring the evil vampiric warlord, Count De La Merde, his ghouls Igor and Efgor and many more characters, The Squirth present a rollicking tale with plenty of twists.

Seriously Funny Theatre – Performances That May Contain Laughs

Although they are not listed in the Comedy section of the Fringe guide, many laughs can be found in the performance section. Here are a number of serious theatre pieces that are sure to tickle your funny bone.

The Chinese Art of Placement is a one man show by Stephen Najera that is a darkly comic, claustrophobic sketch of psychological collapse. It features Feng-Shui taken to it’s extreme.

RIDE ON, in collaboration with THE BLACK LUNG bring us the Side-splittingly black play Debris . Set in the out of control imaginations of two abandoned siblings, it is “a world where mothers die in childbirth, babies feed on rotting plant matter whilst God sits back and rolls a fag.”

An eclectic group of people are trapped in the fitting rooms of an upmarket department store during a security scare. There is plenty of fear and paranoia, with just a little bit of exhibitionism to keep things interesting! Written by Jennifer Lusk, Fitting Rooms is a thought provoking comedy that shows that “there is no such thing as grace under fire.”

After giving us last year’s Fringe hit Lucid Dreaming, Therese Cloonan presents Flick, a sci-fi romantic comedy. This black comedy is about an alien who’s sent to Earth on an unspecified mission and has to negotiate the issues of chemistry and dreams, and life, love and death.

Inspired by 60s playwrite Joe Orton, Gigoloed! is a pair of absurdist short plays that are sexy and controversial. ‘Entertaining Mr Orton’ is a study in clashing personalities involving a woman, her male admirer, a hooker and a religious fanatic. The second ‘Death By Television’ takes no prisoners on television personalities.

Hitchcock & Hermann is a show that explores the relationship between director Alfred Hitchcock and composer Bernard Hermann. This macabre comedy of these two eccentric characters is sure to appeal to film buffs with many filmic references. Following its initial season in Brisbane it was nominated for Best Playwright Award in the 2005 Matilda Awards for Excellence in Live Drama.

Premiering at the recent International Puppet Carnival to delighted audiences, Black Hole Theatre brings its show In The Beginning…Uhmmm to the Fringe. This incarnation of the biblical live action / puppet hybrid promises to be blacker, funnier and sexier.

Described as “Bridget Jones meets Theatre of the Absurd”, Something Drastic is a tale of a singing waitress scorned, and her journey to find happiness. Her adventures are set in a mythic city of garden gnomes, feisty firemen and Women Who Love Too Much.

“To err is human, to moo is bovine.” Dance duo The Town Bikes present their first full length dairy based show MILK . With their wacky choreography, frequent slapstick and a different eccentric guest each night, MILK is sure to raise a smile.

Cabaret, Dance and Other Stuff

Following on from the Inaugural Golden Guy Fawkes Awards, Rod Quantock and Fiona Scott Norman have once again taken over the Old Melbourne Gaol for a very special event. Rod hosts Coming Clean which begins with a Quantock guided tour of The Old Melbourne Gaol, The City Watchhouse and The Magistrates Court. Then the trial begins as Melbourne’s finest comedians have a bare light-bulb shone in their eyes and are “encouraged” (with just a hint of baton and pepper spray) to confess their misdemeanors, with the audience becoming the judge and jury. Two shows only!

Cheek to Cheek is an exciting night of vaudeville on the edge. Drawing on the colourful past of the Tivoli, presenting variety theatre performed with puppetry, circus, music, comedy and dance. It features performances by 2nd Year Diploma of Arts students all with differing talents so it is sure to have something for everyone.

From the Monkey Brigade we have Monkey See, Monkey Do , a one of a kind dance experience infused with audio-soundtracking and gorilla antics. The Brigade have created a blend of styles and performance unique to their group with subtle touches of the comic.

In Mz Josephine’s Amazing Holiday , Mz Josephine hits the highway on a trip that passes through Nhill towards family and back again. An absurdist cabaret about measuring the distance between self and persona, appearing and being. Expect singing, laughing, flights of fantasy, crashes in the Andes and quality time with Judy Dench.

Roberto Roberto, Frank and Friends offers a unique and highly comic blend of contemporary dance and clown. Devised and performed by well-known improviser Paul Roberts, it presents a world in which funny and naive clowns can truly dance.

The Caravan of Love presents… Kunst Ist Scheisse is a freak show of irrational theatre, exotic characters, elaborate costumes, and tongue in cheek cheek. It’s smoky, it’s sultry, it’s Kabarett… but it’s definitely not art. From the misty mountains of Snowmanlandia, the Caravan of Love has been travelling the globe for centuries, delivering endless nights of debauchery, dance, song and silliness.

Starring husband and wife comedy duo Troy and Zara, LoveLife promises “a comedy about love, life & everything in between”. Using a variety of comedy, cabaret and multimedia this duo, with fifteen years of experience, is making their festival debut

For details on all the shows in this year’s Melbourne Fringe Festival check out their official website