Michael Chamberlin is taking on God with his show Michael Chamberlin and the Ten Commandments for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival this year. Not content with the oldest rules in the religious book, Chamberlin is convinced that they need some updating to make it in the modern world.

While others may do shows for the Festival based on climbing metaphoric or literal mountains, Chamberlin keeps close to his Catholic upbringing ‘I’ve never been trapped in the bush or contracted some exotic disease,’ he explains, ‘this was what I dealt with growing up.’ Those who have seen Chamberlin perform before will be used to hearing about his staunch and strict Catholic school story. This year though, he puts those years of religious education to good use in an attempt to refresh all the outdated messages being taught in churches the world over.

So how does his Mum feel about his show, considering everyone’s favourite cultural commentator Andrew Bolt called his show ‘Christian-baiting’ (despite never having seen it)? ‘She’s actually pretty okay with it,’ says Chamberlin, ‘she’s more worried about me saying the C word. I have to justify it, point out that I only say it a couple of times for dramatic effect.’ The show is far from religion bashing, with the kind of commentary that can only come from the love/hate relationship you develop with a religion when it’s your own.

Writing comedy for ‘Rove Live’, performing stand-up and running successful comedy room Stagetime for another season keeps Chamberlin busy. The return of Stagetime was welcome for the local comedy scene, but Chamberlin feels it’s time for new people to step up to the challenge. ‘There’s a lot of merit to running a room. It’s a great way to get good time on stage. I want to see some new people start taking it on.’ There’s that level of stress associated with all of it though, Chamberlin equates doing a live show as part of the Comedy Festival or running a room to having a party. ‘You find yourself checking the door??are those people coming in here? Are we going to have an audience’?

For a performer who seems to have this show well and truly under control, Chamberlin talks at length about how difficult the show was for him to write. ‘I find it a really hard process, before I took it to Adelaide I really didn’t want to go. I kept thinking, ‘Maybe if I just step out in front of this bus I won’t have to go and do it.” When I voice surprise, commenting that I felt the show worked incredibly well, Chamberlin looked as if he were enjoying the performance immensely. He is happy to point out that he stays focused on the work at hand, ‘I don’t believe that a show is ever perfect. You just have to keep working at it and getting it better and better.’ His perfectionist streak certainly seems to be paying off with sell out shows and satisfied audiences.