Courteney Hocking is one of the few comics in Melbourne doing pure political comedy, and this one-hour show is one of even fewer straight-out political shows on offer at MICF this year. Hocking has had enough of her left-leaning days, what with the disappointment of the Kevin08/09 reality, and who can blame her? Solution? Turn to the right. While the left are still twiddling thumbs after the symbolism of the apology, Kyoto and that darned 2020 Summit, Hocking is eager for some real action. It seems her only alternative is to stride over the political divide and into the Bolt homeland. Which she does with style.

Not one to pull her punches, Hocking turns herself into Miss Right with gusto. Heartily taking to the cause, she spends a fast-paced hour living it up on the side of the morally righteous. The targets are plenty, and her aim is right on. From our nanny state, where even the Bakers Delight staff need a national campaign on how not to slice up their hands in the bread machine, to Rudd’s Labor Party, where nothing can be done without a summit and a round of Kum Ba Yah, it’s all square in her sights.

By taking to the right, Hocking is able to avoid the pitfalls of much left-leaning political comedy. Rather than the safety of preaching to the converted, her unflinching assessment of the current government tackles new ground. She is able to unveil the man behind the curtain in our current left-wing politics, revealing the true state of our nation. Hocking avoids the soft target, a Liberal Party so declined they are almost irrelevant, and instead focuses our attention back towards a government that has shifted from the left-leaning ideals of much of its supporter base to the true middle ground of politics and all the bureaucracy it entails. Her tongue-in-cheek dissection is insightful, biting and brings laughs aplenty. There are less of the usual knowing nods and chuckles of recognition provided by political comedy, and more of the laugh-out-loud surprise provided by a unique comic talent who talks politics.

The only bump in an otherwise smooth performance came from Hocking’s onstage comfort and technique. Admittedly, she had formidable obstacles to overcome on this particular night. One friendly (read: drunk) gentleman insisted on introducing himself to the other audience members before the performance began, then proceeded to interrupt Hocking at the earliest opportunity and treat the show as a conversation, rather than a performance. It’s safe to say that there was little disappointment when the friendly (read: still drunk) gentleman decided to leave. To her credit, Hocking was able to overcome all his disruptions, drawing the audience back into the show with finesse. It was unfortunate, however, that the constant interruptions seemed to throw her, making her refer back to her notes frequently. This lack of confidence resulted in the pace of the show being thrown off, which was unnecessary, as the audience’s sympathy were well and truly with the performer.

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