A little bit slow to get started, the show picks up as Hewitt blithely relives some of the events throughout his life that he’s struggled with, and also how he’s recovered from them, describing stories such as his breakdown during his final year of law school and the death of his beloved dog Zoe, through to relationship break-ups and being misunderstood by friends and even strangers. An hilarious highlight is definitely the letter-to-the-editor regarding a review Hewitt wrote about an Eminmen cd, and the reply to that letter, and another highlight is the inappropriate themed party he attended.

Possessing the ability to captivate his audience with a down-to-earth attitude and his genuine words of experience, Hewitt’s show has a bit of everything making it a rewarding and moving experience. While the topics he covers may sound a bit heavy and not even remotely funny to listen to, they are funny, and not in a distasteful way either due to Hewitt using comical, short home-made clips perfectly accompanied with music, to illustrate his stories.

Describing his show as not only being about depression but about laugher, beauty, Zen and Cold Chisel (yes that’s right Cold Chisel), Jeff Hewitt’s refreshing take on such a serious topic is brave, funny, original and enjoyable.

A town planner by day, Ben Lomas’ office hours are consumed with photocopying and just generally trying to make it through. His accurate observations on the little things in life that make a boring office day seem exciting, for example, how hard it is raining outside, or the fact that the computers have gone down, are uproariously entertaining to say the least. Lomas recounts run-ins with colleagues who are a little bit annoying or crazy, and let’s face it we all have some colleagues who are like that. He also depicts meetings that last for 40 minutes where the agenda isn’t about pressing matters, more so about Kris Kringle and music in the workplace, and last but not least, the disgruntled people who ring up that you have to deal with. I must say, some of his solutions are quite amusing, although I would never be game enough to try them.

Commanding the audience’s attention with his genuinely warm and funny personality Ben Lomas has created a show that everyone can relate to, even those who do like their job, because let’s face it no workplace is perfect. You would be absolutely, one hundred percent crazy to miss Ben Lomas in Salary And Sacrifice.

Neil Sinclair was the first to bound on stage, he was clearly pumped for a great set and while the audience certainly warmed to his obviously fun-loving personality straight away (and seemed like they wanted to laugh), it just didn’t happen – snail jokes just aren’t funny.

Laura Davis was up next and looked uncomfortable from the word go. She stumbled through her jokes, never actually delivering them convincingly. Her stage presence was barely there partly owing to the microphone held so close that it blocked the view to her facial expressions.

Julia Clark was next cab off the rank and while her stage presence was impressive, her jokes were more complaints of the Melbourne way of life if anything else and leaned towards being just plain nasty.

The shining light of the night was Smart Casual and their musical comedy set. Easily eliciting the most laughs of the night with their songs about people from Britney Spears to Jennifer Hawkins, the duo exuded a confidence and magnetism that over-shadowed the three previous acts and were obviously the favourites of the crowd.

The venue was not the best place for the four to perform, with some acts being drowned out by the noise from the show directly next door. While there is definitely some potential here, to call all four acts Australia’s best new talent is a slight exaggeration. There’s really only one act you could say that about and that’s Smart Casual.

Jumping up on stage with the ease and confidence of someone who’s done stand-up comedy a thousand times before, North has a charming personality and has travelled extensively working in a range of different jobs. However, the jokes garnered from those experiences are nothing new. Reflecting on topics such as his kids, Melbourne trams, working in London, travelling and first arriving in Australia, North meanders through the show so slowly that at times it was difficult to remain attentive. But the show wasn’t all bad, though. He came out with a few gems – a story about a booze bus, and the curious and giggle-worthy fact that single girls outnumber guys by thousands, and yet most guys still can’t get laid.

There is no doubt that people who decide to see the show, even if they don’t find him funny, will find Terry North pleasant and easy to listen to. But It All Points North is a stroll down memory lane that doesn’t arrive at any destination in particular, and to be honest is not the most stimulating show going around.

Together they weave an intriguing tale of romance and mystery with characters including two Roman soldiers setting off to rescue a princess, a father and daughter on the run from committing murder, a husband and wife with marriage troubles, new-age healers looking for converts and a bittersweet tale of first love. But how does all that weave together? Let me assure you that it does – and in the most clever and hilarious ways imaginable. Using their seemingly innate ability to switch from one character to another, The Pajama Men captivate the audience with their energetic and at times outrageously funny antics. A highlight for me was definitely the new-age healer characters, and their attempt to line up chakras of everyone in the room. The Pajama Men’s ability to get audiences to participate in their madcap stories is second to none. I don’t think anyone in the audience that night would have imagined they’d ever partake in a symphony of eating sounds!

Are you curious yet? If not, you should be, even if it’s just to watch them perform their whole routine in their pajamas. It’s uproarious, it’s outrageous, and if you want to laugh until you cry then go see The Pajama Men. You won’t be sorry.

Wanting to explore how his life has changed since the first show, Aaron again delves into his ex-girlfriend’s answers as to what exactly he did wrong during their relationship, to see whether he’s done anything in reply. And the answer, basically, is no. Realising the biggest change in his life since the concept of the first show was born is his brother having kids, Aaron also realises his main problem is not wanting to give up his bachelor-style place in St Kilda. So, while there’s no life changing events happening any time soon audiences be warned he’s instead decided to throw a new spin on his show and call an audience members’ ex to find out where they went wrong. I’ve never actually seen so many people slide down their seats in unison before, and to my knowledge he’s still looking for a volunteer.

Despite no volunteers It’s Not You, It’s Me…Too! is still a hoot as Aaron delivers his anecdotes and jokes in a delightfully cheeky manner all within a personalised and relaxed setting. So if you looking to have a few quiet beers and a laugh this is the show to see. Considering his audiences to be his longest ever relationship, you’d be loathe to miss Aaron Keefe in what he says is his last comedy festival.

Taking on the role of an incompetent Catholic school teacher, Butler cheekily navigates his way through what many would consider to be an embarrassing and dangerous topic: sex. And not just sex for procreation, sex for recreation as well. After explaining the basics of the male and female genitalia and assuring the class that everybody is different, he then reveals that babies don’t come from storks or God (just fat ladies’ stomachs), and moves on to the most important aspect apparently, of how babies are made. And so begins a lesson on topics that range from fellatio and masturbation to sex positions and fetishes. Using hilarious analogies like purse for punani (vagina) and pen for penis, Butler seduces the audience into participating in the class, asking volunteers to help by playing games such as pin the clitoris on the vagina and getting someone to demonstrate how they would put a condom on a banana.

The topic of sex is a rich playground for comedians, and while Butler boldly treads the fine line of crudeness he never crosses it, making this show an absolute treat for those who love a bit of naughty humour. You’ll blush and laugh your way through the entire show but who knows, maybe you’ll leave having actually learned something new.

Recalling twenty-one comedy festivals, Greg Fleet presents a ‘best of’ type show that flaunts some of his best routines to date. Fleet exudes confidence and is self-deprecating about how he got to where he is and the experiences he’s had along the way, and reflects upon some of the funniest things that have ever been said to him. Many of the jokes are about his time in rehab and the colourful characters he’s encountered. While at times it seems as though there’s no direction to the show, it still seems to work for Fleet, and is complimented by his decision to invite a different special guest to the stage to perform for ten minutes during each of his shows. Audiences can look forward to seeing not only Fleety, but Harley Breen, Rich Hall and Fiona O’Loughlin just to name a few.

Where’s My Pony? is about the things we think we deserve, and if anyone wants to be so bold as to ask the question “where’s your pony?”, the answer is being in the audience of Greg Fleet and getting a laugh from his twenty-one years in the industry.

Kane claims to come from ‘hardcore bogan stock’, which would explain why his comedy apparently bombed in America, and is exactly why Australians will love his show. He asks why girls are repelled when a sober guy walks up to them and asks them out? Why do some parents not show emotion unless in private and even then barely? Why do Americans revel in their own supposed perfection while British people revel in negativity? He hits the nail on the head with his sharp and witty remarks about British culture, which is surprisingly similar to Australian society – except that, according to Kane, we laugh at ourselves while something bad is happening. Kane’s observations are punctuated by a human PowerPoint presentation, used sparingly for perfect effect, performed by actress Sadie Hasler.

It’s not hard to see why most of Russell Kane’s shows sell out quickly. He has an excellent stage presence, his imitation of any accent is hilarious and the way he gets side-tracked simply adds more flavour to a show already bursting at the seams with taste. The hype surrounding Russell Kane is not exaggerated, and you won’t be disappointed if you go and see his show.

Afraid…Very Afraid is supposed to be about breaking free from all the things thrown at us that are supposed to scare us, like constant terror threats, old and new diseases, the global financial crisis, and all things which the modern world can create. Unfortunately, the show was more Dyktynski going off on a tangent than anything else. Whether he intended or not, the small, claustrophobic venue set the scene well, but once on stage Dyktynski talked about his theme for five minutes or so and then it disappeared, as he joked about a crocodile stalking a friend who jogged every morning or his time as an understudy in a musical. Dyktynski elicited a few giggles from the crowd but the routine in general possessed some uneven jokes, despite both a topic that could be considered relevant to the society we live in today, and his earnest approach in wanting to make people laugh.

For those who’ve read the preview for Afraid… Very Afraid and are expecting some political or social observations, you may be disappointed as he digresses from the topic; And for those of you looking for side-splitting laughs, Afraid…Very Afraid unfortunately won’t give you many.