Four People and One Lamington
Hate is too strong a word; therefore, I’m going to say that I disliked this show. Really disliked it.
In an eclectic (Read: slightly dingy.) room, I watched as one-by-one four comedians descended the theatre steps. For 12 minutes each comic performed their particular act as a character: an uptight government official, an eccentric old woman, a rock star parodying Courtney Love and a nudist athlete. It felt like the longest 48 minutes of my life.
Firstly, if the routine involves smutty humour, best check that you have the cheekiness, wit, or charm to pull this off. Perhaps someone should have mentioned this to the comedian who pretended to retrieve a used tampon from her body, and after holding it up to the audience, chose to attach it to a lead and take it for a walk. Don’t ask.
Secondly, something that is sharp and witty to read does not always translate into the same thing when spoken in a comedic show. At times during the ‘government officials’ skit, I felt as though I were back at a university lecture, except here I couldn’t leave.
To be fair, all of the comedians acted their characters out well, indicating that they aren’t bad performers. It’s just that the material they were working with was terribly dull and at times downright atrocious.
As much as I want to support local acts, I can’t in good conscience recommend that people spend $15 to see something that barely had me register a smile.
Dear Pun,
Get another reviewer! As a visitor to Melb for the Commedy Festival, I chose to go to this because a)it was by women b) it was in a small, intimate venue c) I just thought I might come across the next “Edna Everidge” in the Aust Comedy scene & d) reasonable price. I find your review destructive & savage to say the least. The audience, the night I attended, were entertained & got some good laughs in the process. Suely you understand character commedy? You don’t belly laugh all through Edna’s shows. It IS a character portrayal – the humour arises from your ability to identify with the charatter. Haven’t you ever met the stereotypical 30-40 yr old corporate wanna be, or the country bumpkin (you only have to travel as far as Bacchus Marsh!, the failed, self indulgent entertainer or the immigrant sports high flier? Each of the characters were exceptionally well crafted and “clever” humour rather than The “Rove Live” 3 minute stand up crap that is fed the Aust TV audience. After reading your review, I concluded that yes – you would have been the type of uni student who walked out of the lecture after 5 minutes because of course your knowledge was so superior you did’t need to add further facts into your narrow minded adolescent brain. I wonder if you have ever “reviewed’ act such as Lano & Woodley in your time – but then perhaps you prefer slapstick!
Woah… what’s with the anger? Evidently Sarah didn’t like the show, and I thought she explained quite well why. I don’t think this review is destructive and savage, it’s just honest about one reviewer’s point of view. She even pointed out that while the acting was good, it was the material that suffered.
Hi Ali,
Firstly, why don’t you take a leaf from Sarah Carson’s book and try not to lower yourself to personal insults with your comments? It’s great that you are here to express your opinion on the show and I value that you have put forward a strong argument for why you enjoyed the show. That’s the whole point of us allowing open (uncensored) comments on the site; we expect there to be debate and difference over reviews, which are only ever one person’s opinion. What I don’t expect is for you to show so little respect towards the writer. She attempts to give credit where credit is due in her review, gave her honest opinion on the show she saw and backed that up with a a clear explaination.
Just so you are aware, I have worked with Sarah Carson over a number of years and published many of her MICF reviews. I stand by her 100% as you could not find a writer more open to different forms, styles and kinds of comedy. I’ve seen her review internationals, small locals and everything inbetween and find her to be a balanced, thoughtful writer who puts great thought into her reviews. If you disagree by all means say so but try being constructive, non-personal and eloquent, just as Sarah has been.
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