When a performer begins their show with the statement “This is going to be shit” it is worrisome. As a paying punter you pray that they are merely setting the bar extremely low so that they may soar. In Michal Grobelny’s case, he seemed determined to make this self prophesying statement a reality. I suppose the warning signs were there in the advertising, with a lackadaisical program synopsis and the nihilistic prose on the flyer, I can’t say that I was too surprised by the content of this show.
Angst and the futility of it all were the focus of this show. He explored some well trodden paths in comedy, particularly that of the relationship between men and women, and examined them in an existentialistic way; in this case pondering what women actually see in the male species and can females survive without them. Aside from some rather graphic and challenging material that was amusing in the shock of it, he didn’t have much in way of laugh out loud material to support these topics even though his thoughts and theories were fascinating. Add to this the lack of lightness to contrast his dark and it was rather heavy going for a comedy show.
Michal’s delivery was completely unfocused on this particular night. His ability to be easily distracted had an enormous effect on the flow of the show and he seemed to be constantly re-editing the script on the fly. He had the annoying habit of explaining the joke when it didn’t receive the response he thought it deserved; a condescending act akin to blaming the audience. Instead the audience should have been knighted for sticking with Michal through this arduous journey to witness the few amusing moments amongst his wallowing in self pity.
Another thing that grated was his constant looking for approval and an appropriate response from the audience. The problem was that we weren’t entirely sure what he expected, other than our attention and amusement at what comedy morsels he presented. His attempts to amp up the crowd were a futile act as an audience attending a show based on angst surely aren’t the same boisterous group who like toilet humour. This stand off tainted the show to a degree.
Michal mentioned the fact that he spends most of his time in the UK, as a lot of ex pat comedians do. Most others return to Australia as well oiled comedy machines, delighting their home towns with their new comedy skills. This didn’t seem to have happened to Michal. He seemed content in being a contemporary of Nick Sun without the weirdness that often makes Nick more performance art than comedy. There was too much venting and therapy in this show, making it a disappointment.
For booking details visit the Comedy Festival website