For someone who’s seen a lot of live comedy, this evening marked a rare first for me. The International Comedy Festival Roadshow in Pakenham marks first time I have ever seen live comedy performed in my town of birth. Ushered into the evening’s proceedings by the night’s MC Jeff Green, this show saw some highs, some plateaus and an audience which ranged from apathetic to defensive to mildly antagonistic.
Jeff Green was at his sparkling best as he roused the audience, hitting his straps in a pitch perfect performance. His quick fire delivery and honed patter quickly propelled him from topic to topic as he touched on subjects from a local embroidery display to an extensive reenactment of his son’s birthday party. Married to an Australian, Jeff’s regional knowledge gives him more than a superficial treatment of Australian themes and his performanc throughout the evening came chock full of delicious one liners delivered with snap-lock timing.
George McEnroe was first on the bill and she touched on material about the rubbishness of her name, her children and her parents. A real dissapointment came at the hands of audience members who, through either stupidity or some misguided notion of trying to be funny, seriously interupted her patter. This audience interaction which misfired lead to some superficial laughs amongst the crowd but was ultimately a disruption of the set, which was a real pity.
Following George were Smart Casual, a young musical comedy duo, direct from a season as part of the Comedy Zone. They present a formidably comic appearance and stylistically they have great comic potential. Their set interchanged sharply between banter and music which alleviated any sense of overdone comedy. However, at the end of the day their content failed to live up to their presence. At the moment this young comedy duo is more style than substance, but that said, they are young and packed with loads of potential.
Sam Simmons hit the stage, delighting in saying “Pakenham Upper” (sound it out) and combining his characteristic mix of music, drawings and banter, with syrup thick lashings of the absurd. It was strange watching Sam deliver the kind of performance which would have any Melbourne room rolling with laughter, while this conservative Pakenham audience remained largely unmoved, apart from a few pinpoints of solidarity around the room. However Sam’s supreme confidence (and note, that is confidence not arrogance) prevailed and he delivered his high pitched, moderated lunacy with aplomb.
Andrew Stanley is an Irish comedian and one suspects that he got the headlining position due to his status as an international artist. Whilst delivering a pleasant enough perfomance with a good deal of style, often repeating himself in a true storytellers manner, there was little here to provoke regular laughs. The audience did respond to his natural Irish charm and whilst gathering a few chuckles from this reviewer there was little in the way of comedy with any kind of resonance from his performance.
The Cardinia Cultural Centre is a highly proffessional, well appointed, premium theatre space. But on this night it was a quarter full at best. I know I’ve banged on about this before, but it makes me really annoyed that, although the MICF have presented regional areas with a gift in terms of an extremely well organised, top quality arts event, the local council as well as local media failed to even attempt to generate any real interest in this comedy event.
Overall, this show is really worth catching if it’s coming to an area near you. At two hours in length it is more bang for your buck and a great way to witness a showcase of quality performers. It can be hit and miss but that’s part of the charm. It’s a chance to see what Melbournian’s love about their comedy rooms, close to home.
For more details check out the Melbourne Comedy Festival website