Karin Muiznieks is returning to the Melbourne Comedy Fest on the heels of her previous shows Give My Regards To Broady (2008) and World War Wonderful (2009) the latter of which won ‘Most Popular Show’ on the Groggy Squirrel’s Comedy Festival Poll last year. Daniel Nicholls spoke to Karin about her new show The First Against the Wall:
Tell me about your new show.
It’s like the companion piece to World War Wonderful. There were a lot of things I wanted to say, ideologically, in WWW that were cut for time- if you saw that show you’ll know there was a sort of ‘ascent to power’ which happened very quickly in the finished piece but was originally much longer and I cut into that for time, but I was still very interested in that idea: what does it actually mean to be in power; how do you get there in the first place; and how do you know when you’re there if you try? So the whole show is about me building this new world order, sort of like the classic: “If I ruled the world…” line spun out into actual practice, and it’s got a lot of thinking behind it- there’s a plan! Everything is organized and coherent, very detailed plans about how this world is going to be run. So I sort of spun that idea into its own show, which is this, and I get to say those things I wanted to say previously here. So just like WWW, it’s a political show. I like shows with ideas, but it’s also cabaret so it’s important to me that those ideas are presented in a fun way, through great songs. So for something that has a serious idea under it, it’s actually quite silly. And I want you to be sort of lost in the silliness, but then later you’re thinking about it and you’re like: “Ooooh.” It is not your normal cabaret. It’s got an intellect. There’s a lot of plotting and scheming.
Did some of the songs from this show originate in World War Wonderful?
There’s ten songs in total, one of which I stole from popular culture because it just fit so well. All of the other nine songs are originals- there are a couple of songs I wrote prior to WWW, but they have been retooled for this show.
What other differences are there between the two shows?
From a plot perspective what happens onstage is a lot less visceral and brutal than parts of WWW. It’s sillier in presentation, but thematically I think it might be even darker than WWW, if you come with your thinking cap on.
Last year you mentioned that World War Wonderful was inspired in part by Naomi Klein’s ‘The Shock Doctrine’. Did any particular book influence this show?
Yes! The show was completely rewritten after I read George Orwell’s ‘1984’. The final script has much more of a focus on that idea of the system ruling everybody, and how everyone is aware of their own enslavement.
This is your first solo show for three years, how different has that process been?
It has made this show a lot easier, because organizing so many people last time really was so hard, I don’t think I could have done that again. I’ve certainly lost a lot less hair and sleep this time around. Although I say that but I’m already planning my next show and that’s going to be about a girl band so I’ll have to organize a huge amount of cast members for that, so I’m a glutton for punishment it seems. This time around I only have to organize my musicians and my psychotic director, Scott Gooding. We’ve got interchangeable pianists, and each one brings something different to the show, so you’ll see a different set of banter between me and the musicians, depending on which pianist you get. And my sister, who you will see play at least six instruments throughout the show, she swaps to a new instrument for every song. It’s pretty fun.
First Against the Wall runs until April 18th at The Butterfly Club. For full booking details go to the Melbourne Comedy Festival website