Zilla Bailey
The Pun 2009 Reviews »
The Butterfly Club, its walls festooned with curious objects and its stage open to upcoming cabaret performers, just turned ten. To celebrate the occasion, a variety show was held – strangely, at the Hi Fi Bar – showcasing some of the acts that the Butterfly Club originally nurtured.
And what a variety of acts they were. The Beautiful Losers veered gloriously from unsettling to the unspeakable, and Sammy J did an amusingly conflict-ridden double act with Randy the puppet. The cast of World War Wonderful impressed by not only being able …
The Pun 2009 Reviews »
For the one-night-only Celebrity Theatresports show, St Kilda’s grand old National Theatre was packed with a rambunctious crowd keen to see performers flying by the seat of their pants and creating comedy on the spot. The show consisted of four teams of four actors each, and the performers were a mix of experienced improvisers and celebrities from other fields, supported by a keyboardist, MCs, stagehands and judges. The audience delighted in the opportunity to yell out suggestions, grasped for the lollies that was thrown to it, and booed the judges …
The Pun 2009 Reviews »
Long-time fixtures of the Australian comedy scene the Scared Weird Little Guys are this year telling A Tale of Two Scaredies: a history of John and Rusty that starts at the beginning and goes right up until the present day.
A Tale of Two Scaredies is likely to satisfy both newcomers to the Scaredies who will get an enjoyable potted history of the band, and old-timers like myself who will be ensconced in a nostalgic glow by references to late 80s/early 90s musical comedy groups like Corky and …
The Pun 2009 Reviews »
A theatrette in the State Library is a strange place for a comedy gig. With its large screen and lectern, it looks as if somebody is about to give a lecture – but Andy Muirhead does anything but. Host of Collectors on ABC TV, Muirhead gives us a lovely collection of anecdotes and observations, his topics ranging from politics to adventures at a wooden boat show.
It’s hard to imagine anyone disliking Andy Muirhead. He’s like an earnest, daggy, high-school nerd grown up and made good. He celebrates the similar nerdiness …
The Pun 2009 Reviews »
Highly Sus is a panel show hosted by former high-flying lawyer (and later convicted cocaine dealer) Andrew Fraser. The panel is comprised of a barrister, a journalist and an ex-policeman, and their job is to listen to a balaclava-clad “witness” tell a very tall tale and then decide whether he’s ‘legit’ or ‘highly sus’. Fraser also questions various audience members as to their opinions before the witness is unmasked and his identity finally revealed.
Trying to guess who’s telling the truth and who’s lying is great fun, and the anecdotes – …
The Pun 2009 Reviews »
Is there such a thing as a happy ending? That’s the question husband-and-wife duo Zara and Troy attempt to explore through song, dance, skits and stand-up.
Zara and Troy are both talented singers and command the stage with confidence. The keyboardist/backing vocalist is also strong, and the music appealing and well-arranged. Unfortunately, though, their content is pretty pedestrian. Bemoaning one’s weight issues, for example, has to be one of the most boring, overused comedy topics out there. The small, polite audience sat in stoic silence through a questionable anecdote about a …
The Pun 2009 Reviews »
Those keen to find the strangest show in the festival would do well to add Dooda to their list. A cabaret collection of song, dance, and what could loosely be described as comedic performance art, the Dooda ensemble beckon you with grins into their bizarre world and then do their very best to confuse the living daylights out of you.
There are some delightful skits in this show – a ‘black and white history of Australia’ told by hands in a picture frame was particularly amusing, and a combination of classical …
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