A Night at Fat Willy’s is a show which The 4 Noels have performed at festivals all over the country. That said, there is a reason that they can bring it back to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival (where it’s already done a season) again. It’s a show that, from its very first appearance, had people talking about it. Somehow I managed to miss it before this, so I was dead keen to see it this year.

When a show has been built up like this before you get there, it rarely lives up to your expectations. With this one, however, I was surprised. It made me laugh through the whole show and even in the car on the way home thinking back to my favourite moments.

Gangsters at their best, worst and funniest are played out before the audience in a madcap, fast paced story, which parodies all our stereotypes of old movies and seedy characters.

It’s clear that playing copious strange characters is the Noels forte, and in this show they really step up and play each with gusto. While there are only three performances of this show during the Festival you should try your hardest to get to see it; there is a reason it was nominated for a Barry award and continues to sell tickets wherever it plays.