Having seen Rob Hunter perform tight fives on numerous occasions, I was interested to find out how he would fill the hour in his intriguingly titled show Moosecow. We got a healthy slab of the silly left of centre “dumb” jokes that he is known for, as well as some fascinating departures from straight stand up.
Assisted by his friend Joel, who popped onto the stage at various times both as himself and in character, Rob was able to perform some quite surreal sketches that were brilliant. They did a “talking to Joel on the phone as another version of him was on stage” segment that has been done by others, but they made it their own by treating the situation as if it was entirely normal, blending it seamlessly into the strange universe they had created on stage. We were even treated to some slapstick.
Not content with this being a two hander, a prerecorded booming voice-over used in the dramatically silly introduction was employed as a third character to form a bizzare trio. They were able to play around with theatrical conventions, such as putting words and actions into one another’s mouths to “deviate from the script”, to create some hilarious moments. There were plenty of self deprecating references in which they criticized the jokes that fell flat (perhaps purposely) and the show’s structure itself.
When Rob was on stage alone, he came across as almost like a rabbit in the headlights; a naïve, albeit strange, little man. I was taken aback when he displayed a rather nasty streak in his increasingly hostile interactions with Joel to create some wonderful comedic conflict. This viciousness was even directed towards the audience on occasion, but it was so out of character and unexpected that it was hilarious.
A brilliant “Subterranean Homesick Blues” type credit sequence, that employed some callbacks and continued the feuding, ended a show that was perfectly structured with a veneer of disorder. It was a wonderful performance that kept the tiny venue laughing throughout.
Visit the Comedy Festival Website for booking details.