Alethea Kinsela
The Pun 2012 Reviews »
Attending a Sanderson Jones performance is a bit like being invited to a game of Trivial Pursuit, only to be informed on the night that you’ve actually signed up for Russian roulette.
When I met him in the street – he sells every ticket by hand – Jones came across as an eager, smiling comedian; just one among hundreds trying to spruik his brand of comedy to passers-by.
Under the spotlight, however, Jones morphed from polite comedian to grinning, devilish presenter of remarkable social media comments. Not his own comments, mind – …
The Pun 2012 Reviews »
Hailing from the community of Craigiedunk, Andrew McClelland presents a night of talent, variety, and a variety of talent. All by himself. Progressing through a plethora of accents, characters, and stereotypes, McClelland gives seven of his own creations a brief timeslot to shine. Or, in some cases, implode.
Irishman Danny O’Shannassy dusts off some groan-worthy Aussie location and slang jokes. Maggot Spunka introduces us to his catchcry- “You’ve been Spunked!” and assaults us with bogan-speak and also allusions to Ashton Kutcher. Frank Thing, the absurdist comedian, attempts to read minds, and demonstrates …
Featured, The Pun 2012 Reviews »
Matt Okine is a bolt from the blue: brilliant, hilarious and entirely unexpected. If you only have time to see one show in the Comedy Festival, make it this one. It is superb.
Tucked away in a small room in the Town Hall, Matt Okine uses the intimacy of the space to build instant rapport with the audience in such an affable manner that it’s easy to forget that you’re part of an audience instead of sitting in your own lounge room listening to a good friend’s funny story.
Just in case …
The Pun 2012 Reviews »
Adam Knox is a versatile performer. He can play the piano, sing, and use a range of vocal alterations to represent various character changes. Moving through history, from his birth in 1989 (“because in 1988 alcohol was more expensive than condoms”) through to 2062, we get a sense of how Adam Knox sees himself at the age of 73 – all washed up.
His life experiences range from earning a living as a birthday party clown, to narrowly missing out on an Oscar for his starring role in The Man Who …
Featured, The Pun 2012 Reviews »
If William Shakespeare and George Lucas lived at the same university college, got drunk, wrote a script together, then employed theatre students to act it out and add their two cents worth of improvisation, the result could quite possibly have been Shakespeare Fight Club.
This crazy whirlwind of a production is an eclectic cauldron of genres – drama, action, comedy, science fiction, horror, pantomime, and shadow puppetry, to name a few. There’s even audience participation. Just about every trick in the theatre book is drawn upon (and pointed out like a …
The Pun 2010 Reviews »
Watching Frank Woodley wriggle and prance his way across the stage for an hour is like being tied down and tickled till you scream. It’s just so much fun. Even afterwards, when you realise you may have burst a few blood vessels in your eyeballs, you still can’t help chuckling at the lanky-limbed comic genius.
In Bewilderbeest, Woodley is at his coloured-sock-wearing, laptop-bashing best. He sings and mimes, and chases fish and golf carts across the stage. He occasionally calls on the assistance of an unreliable stagehand and a lighting technician with a sense of humour. All this to bewilder, stun, …
The Pun 2010 Reviews »
I must admit, I didn’t have high expectations for Peter Helliar’s Dreamboat Tour. For me, Helliar is a hit-and-miss comedian. Sometimes I find him very funny. Other times, his jokes make me wince, or yawn. Dreamboat Tour was a pretty ordinary show with luke-warm humour that didn’t always work. Helliar seemed nervous to begin with, but as the set progressed he relaxed and found his rhythm. Once he did, his timing was good, and his banter with the audience was entertaining, if at times a bit uncomfortable as he got a little too personal. …
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