What Did She Think?

What: Slaughterhouse Five When: 24 April - 5 May 2019 Where: Theatre Works Written and directed by: Fleur Kilpatrick Performed by: Alanah Allen, Tim Banova, Sam Barson, Alexandras Bartaska, Georgina Bright, Caitlin Duff, Simran Giria, Reilly Holt, Emlyn Sugden, and Talia Zipper Set by: Jason Lehane Costumes by: Dil Kaur Lighting by: John Collopy Sound by: Justin Gardam Georgina Bright and Alexandras Bartaska - photo by Sarah Walker On ANZAC Day 2019 a show opened at Theatre Works which, in my opinion, is probably the most appropriate representation of what that day should be and say and feel rather than almost anything we have done in my lifetime. A stage remediation of Kurt Vonnegut 's novel Slaughterhouse-Five written and directed by Fleur Kilpatrick   and produced by MUST takes over the story of war until 5 May and what it has to say to those of us who have never been involved in one is beyond priceless and also almost beyond comprehension at the same time. P

What: Spectral: Between Light and Sound When: 17 - 18 April 2019 Where: Main Hall, Arts House Salt created by Hanna Chetwin and composed by Rohan Drape Opaquing created by Hanna Chetwin and composed by James Rushford Solid (Loud) Matter created and performed by: Kusum Normoyle Single Origin created by: Robin Fox Single Origin I suspect ever since physics determined that sound was actually vibrations in space people have been fascinated by its possibilities as a pseudo physical object in space as much as the aural reception in our brains which facilitate emotional and communicative relationships with the world around us. Similarly, upon the discovery that light has a shape, it's architectural applications have been avidly explored - thus the invention of film and, more recently, laser. At Arts House this week we find a haven from Comedy Festival mania with the ' Spectral ' exhibition which includes a curated range of exhibitions and two nights of performance art e

What: Two Wrongs Don't Make a Play, Right? When: 13 - 14 April 2019 Where: Mission Persons, Nicholas Building Written and performed by: James JG Gordon and Lucy Seale James JG Gordon and Lucy Seale Comedy, at its very heart, is a simple beast. All it really requires is juxtaposition and/or hyperbole and an audience who can read those mechanisms. In Two Wrongs Don't Make a Play, Right? Gordon and Seale strip the performance elements bare and instead fill Missing Persons with straight forward sketch comedy of the thinking kind. Missing Persons itself is not a theatre. It is a multidisciplinary arts space with gallery style track lighting and, for the Comedy Festival , is filled with rows of trestle benches. The stage is the end of the room without any benches. Simple, pared down and evidence that the Festival is so massive any and every available space is needed to house all the comedy flooding the city this month. Missing Persons is a naked room and what it requir

What: Three Guards on Manus Island When: 8 - 14 April 2019 Where: Downstairs, The Butterfly Club Directed by: Jacob Sacher Performed by: Josh Cake, James Gordon, and Sandy Whittem Josh Cake, Sandy Whittem, and James Gordon Do you like a bit of bondage? Do you like a bit of science with your comedy? Do you like your punchlines to come by surprise? Do you like your comedy to mean something and say something? Do you like to laugh out loud? This is what you will get with Three Guards on Manus Island at The Butterfly Club this week. The title may be off putting. You might wonder how on earth such a tragic and shameful situation as our Australian response to refugeeism is and wonder how anybody could possibly joke about it. If you think these things this is exactly why you should come and see Three Guards on Manus Island . Oh, and if you are a fan of a bit of bondage you will really get a kick out of being the inmates who have been forced to miss dinner in order to watch the re

What: The Book of Snorin' - Sleep Apnea The Musical When: 9 - 14 April 2019 Where: The Charles Dickens Tavern Written and performed by: Stew Walker Stew Walker Perhaps the only place in the world you would pay money to see a grown man walking around in flannelette pyjamas and fluffy slipper is the Comedy Festival . Any other time your instincts would probably be to call emergency services. In the basement of The Charles Dickens Tavern you can relax though, because it is just Walker giving us his hilarious take on the noisy world of snoring and sleepless nights in his show The Book of Snorin' - Sleep Apnea The Musical. Walker has sleep apnea and in The Book of Snorin' he chronicles his attempts to save his marriage (and his life) through song and a healthy dose of self deprecation. A clever lyricist with the ability to pun on request, Walker sings us through the hour in what is probably more accurately described as a song cycle rather than a musical, bringing us l

What: Tone Death: A Ghost Musical When: 8 - 21 April 2019 Where: Upstairs, The Butterfly Club Written by: Dylan Marshall Composed by: Earl Marrows Performed by: Gina Dickson, Darcy Myring, Alice Pryor, Jorja Polglase, and Ursula Searle Choreography by: Diane Pereira Costumes by: Dil Kaur Technical design by: Georgie Wolfe Stage Managed by: Sophie Ashkanasy Darcy Myrin, Ursula Searole, Gina Dickson, and Alice Pryor - photo by Julia Kaddatz Following up on their 2018 offering Pining For Affection , the musical theatre writing team Dylan Marshall and Earl Marrows bring their latest creation to The Butterfly Club for the Comedy Festival. Based on the very punny conceit of a comedian dying on stage (literally), Tone Death: A Ghost Musical is an all singing, all dancing otherworldly foray into the history of The Butterfly Club. Doomed to forever haunt the stages of The Butterfly Club Mary (Pryor), Beth ( Searle ), and Jeffries ( Dickson ) tolerate each other despite constan

What: Paquito When: 8 - 21 April 2019 Where: Tasma Terrace Written and performed by: Charisa Bossinakis Charisa Bossinakis It's sometimes hard to say exactly why some comedians click at stand up comedy but there is no doubt for some of them just standing on stage and telling their stories is the funniest entertainment around. Bossinakis is one of those people. In her show Paquito, which is playing at Tasma Terrace this Comedy Festival, Bossinakis is as entrancing as she is outspoken. Bossinakis works with observational humour and the thing she is observing is her life and how she interacts with it. Her take on the world in which she is interacting is insightful, pithy and 100% disenchanted millenial. She might look like a porcelain doll on the outside, but she is all red-blooded living and loving woman on the inside - a woman way to smart to shatter and one not afraid to live life to the fullest! The show begins with Bossinakis telling us about her gay best friend a

What: The 2007 Wonthaggi Blue Light Disco When: 8 - 21 April 2019 Where: The Archive Room, Trades Hall Written by: Jordan Barr and Josh Gardiner Performed by: Jordan Barr, Alex Cooper, and Kayla Hamill Alex Cooper, Kayla Hamill and Jordan Barr The Melbourne Fringe Festival can often feel a bit like a testing ground for the Comedy Festival, with many comedy acts in the former making the leap into the latter the following year. The 2007 Wonthaggi Blue Light Disco playing at Trades Hall is one of those shows and in this case it has found its natural home. The 2007 Wonthaggi Blue Light Disco is a celebration of teenage archetypes and Barr and Gardiner have managed to tread that very fine line between finding the funny without being insulting or demeaning. Most of the sketches focus on time and locations surrounding the disco such as the toilets and meet ups outside the venue. The only time we really find ourselves inside the hall is during the audience participation dance

What: Super Amazing Giant Girl When: 6 - 21 April 219 Where: Lower Hall, Melbourne Town Hall Originally created by: Anna Lumb and Gabi Barton Adapted and performed by: Anna Lumb and Jez Davies Jez Davies and Anna Lumb First a disclaimer. Super Amazing Giant Girl is a show for kids aged 4 -10 so I am not really the right demographic. A fun anthology of circus tricks loosely connected by a story about a girl who grows to 50 feet high and has trouble fitting in, it is playing the Comedy Festival throughout the school holidays. Lumb originally created this show in 2016 with Barton and since then it has gone on to tour successfully around Australia at all sorts of festivals and venues. The show currently being performed is an adaptation of the original with Davies taking over from Barton as Normal Person (not to scale). Davies is himself an accomplished circus artist but with a different range of skills so inevitably the show has had to change. Where Barton is a dancer and

What: Just Doing It When: 28 March - 21 April 2019* Where: Evatt Room, Trades Hall Written and performed by: Emily Tresidder Emily Tresidder Emily Tresidder has been doing stand up comedy since 2015 with great success and she is back with us in the Melbourne International Comedy Festival this year. Bringing us her new show Just Doing It , Tresidder brings a stage full of personality and humour to Trades Hall . Just Doing It is a bit of departure for Tresidder. Her past shows have generally revolved around a theme and had a standard narrative arc. This year though, Tresidder has taken a stream of consciousness approach and weaves a meandering path from work life to family life to ... well...  life in general. Whilst this is a riskier road because it requires every joke to hit the mark rather than letting anticipation do some of the work with the audience, it also means there is a raw honesty to Tresidder's story telling which brings out a darkness which is seductive a

What: Pamela's Palace When: 27 March - 6 April 2019 Where: The 86 Concept by: Donna Gray Devised and performed by: Katie Grace Cooper, Donna Gray and Ayesha Tansey Directed by: Mella Faye Donna Gray and Ayesha Tansey - photo by Alison Pollard-Mansergh In a Comedy Festival full of stand up comics and cabaret The 86 brings us a pure delight with the full theatrical (and highly interactive) comedy Pamela's Palace . With world class clowning and dance moves you haven't seen since the 80's, Pamela's Palace is a riotous romp and they take the audience with them every step (or snip...) of the way! Pamela's Palace is an old school hairdressing salon run by very old...school Pamela ( Gray ). With the talents of her employees, stylist Tiffany ( Cooper ) and apprentice Bronwyn ( Tansey ), Pamela has managed to reach the finals for Salon of The Year. The only thing standing in her way is rival salon The Cutting Edge...and herself...and Tiffany...and Bronwyn.

What: 50/50 When: 3 - 21 April 2019 Where: The Boardroom, Victoria Hotel Written and performed by: Michael Shafar Michael Shafar We often talk about how funny, wierd, absurd life is and it is true. And sometimes the funniest comedy routines are the ones which come from the heart and tell it like it is. This is what you get when you see Shafar 's show 50/50 at the Victoria Hotel. Shafar was diagnosed with testicular cancer (stage 3) in 2017 which is where the title for this show comes from, because in stage 3 you have 50/50 chance of survival. After chemotheraphy and 5 surgeries (including the loss of a testicle) he is now cancer free and eager to make us all see the funny side. And believe me, this man can turn 50 lung tumors into unrelenting belly laughs. Now that is a gift! Somewhat quiet spoken and with a sincerity we all wish our politicians had, Shafar takes us through ultrasounds of his ball sacks ('so when is the baby due?') and preserving sperm before c

What: No Flirting When: 28 March - 21 April 2019 Where: Archive Room, Trades Hall Written and performed by: Alex Ward Alex Ward No Flirting is a show which actually gives you what it advertises. Alex Ward will not flirt throughout her Comedy Festival stand up routine at Trades Hall . Ward has been a comedian for around five years now and is a writer on The Project so it is not unreasonable to have high expectations. I am not sure they will be satisfied. Having said that the show does have a lot of laughs and, if not uproariously funny, it is definitely down home feel good. No Flirting does not explore political issues or social justice. It is just Ward talking about some absurdities in her daily life and exploring notions in that hyperbolic way comedians do. The show starts well with her telling us about her very recent doomed flight to Brisbane for the festival. Suffice to say she is lucky to have arrived. I laughed a lot and settled in for a fun hour but then out cam