Critical Mass Debate: Is Comedy Sexy?: Review

Editorial

When: 7.30pm, 24 May
Where: Astor Theatre

Chattering teeth and going blue in the lips is generally no cause for hilarity. But luckily the freezing weather didn't seem to dampen anyone's spirits, as the suitably rugged up crowd piled into the Astor Theatre on 24 May. The Wild West Comedy Festival (19 -30 May) was now in full swing, with tonight's entertainment being a lively debate, posing the question, “Is comedy sexy?”

The MC for the evening, the subtly hilarious Werzel, opened the show introducing the affirmative and negative team members, not to mention comically pointing out how pathetic it was to also have to introduce himself. This was followed by words, complete with mood setting, saucy hot background jazz music from comedian and musician extraordinaire, John Robertson.

There was a whole lot of cracking jokes from the zany Jimmy James Eaton, Natalie Lewis, Michael Workman and Andrea Gibbs, including her portrayal of what men do when they're alone, ending in video games. Needless to say, there were some compromising hand gestures, dodgy enough to make a porn star cringe.

An interval, an Improv session and some comedy magic mastery from Adam Mada and Adam Dean, and we were now at the business end of the debate. Nineteen-year-old funny boy Joel Creasey entertained the crowd with his unique brand of camp-meets-hip gangster lingo, while Ben Sutton rounded out his team's argument, squeezing out every last laugh.

The two captains, Jimmy James Eaton and Andrea Gibbs, closed the debate with their final arguments, leaving the crowd with a tough choice. So, is comedy sexy? According to MC Werzel's non-existent crowd metre, tonight, it was the negative that came through with the goods, proving once and for all, that comedy is not sexy. But hey, it sure is entertaining!

Ross Hatton, Citysearch

Reviewed 24 May 2010 at the Astor Theatre