Courteney Hocking brings her first full solo show to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2006. Hocking starts the show by explaining she isn’t an inventor, but rather by process of meeting an attractive boy who was an inventor she became interested in the more??well??unusual things which have been invented throughout the years. As she started looking at the things around us that have been invented (but not necessarily reached house hold name status) Hocking slowly became more and more fascinated, and in this show runs through her favourite madcap inventions.

More than just a collection of other people’s wacky ideas, Hocking creates a show which manages to be funny, touching and personal. Despite a faulty projector on the night that I saw her, Hocking took the problems in her stride and didn’t allow the resulting difficulties with timing and structure to stop her connecting with the audience. The stories she shared about her research of inventions large and small drew in the crowd and allowed her to show off her ability to find humor in diverse topics.

With a well-rounded, entertaining show, Hocking is one of those performers who leave you feeling like you’ve had more than a quick laugh. She has a genuine warmth on stage, coupled with original material, which displays her ability to craft a show from a good premise and carry it off. Plenty of laughs and a good tale combine to make a great show from a talented up-and-coming comic.