The MW OH Show’s Quarter Life Crisis is a mix of impersonations, black humour, self-deprecation, storytelling, improv and wrestling theatrics. Mark Williamson is the mind behind this massive blend of performance styles.
After 14 months of doing open-mic gigs at the Roxbury Hotel in New South Wales, Mark made his Melbourne Comedy Festival debut on a Wednesday to a small but interested crowd in an intimate, curtained-off room at Club Four.
The show had both hits and misses.
Mark’s smash hit in the show was his account of working in a call center during which he listed the outlandish ways he tried to get fired from his job. As he delivered his lines, I laughed out loud, both in disbelief and awe.
Other hits were his impersonations of established comedians. He invited audience suggestions and convincingly portrayed Billy Connolly, Richard Pryor and Jerry Seinfeld.
But when he entered the territory of crude puns and jokes, he did so unsuccessfully. Mark’s nervousness about performing at the festival showed most when he spoke too fast at times and had to repeat lines. These jitters impeded his performance and hampered the audience’s enjoyment of the show.
Mark is a rough diamond, a talented raw comic who’s still a bit jagged around the edges. With more stints at Club Four in the coming days, Mark is sure to polish his performance. With that, the show is likely to score more laughs.