Review: Opening Night Comedy Allstars Supershow
Editorial
Where: Palais Theatre, St Kilda.
It was certainly a night for star gazing as the comedy constellation shone over the Palais Theatre for the Melbourne Comedy Festival's Opening Night Allstars Supershow on 30 March, because even the D-grade stars (otherwise known as TV weathermen) were out. But I wasn't there to rubberneck the audience; I was there to review the show. Being Gen Y, I've annotated my feelings on the stand-ups through emoticons.
:-) (Smiley Face)
Tim Minchin: His unique darkness and penchant for twisting a sweet story about having a baby into one about accidental murder (all to music), was a clever complement to the traditional stand-up list.
Tommy Tiernan: Good, but safe opening, sticking with what he knows - jokes about Ireland and Irish people.
Fiona O'Loughlin: Her performance was solid, fresh and original. If it meant to awaken awkward repressed childhood memories, job done.
The Pajama Men: Literally two guys in PJs doing skits felt like being at a mate's place late on a Saturday night watching them go to town with random observational physical humour.
Jeff Green: Why is it, out of his entire set, all I remember is that he was recently married and a slow driver?
The Sandman: He's still got it, nuff said.
Carl Baron: Simple, understated brilliance.
Hannah Gadsby: She's funny; just wish more of her relaxed, organic humour would come through on Adam Hill's Live From Gordon Street.
Caroline Rhea: A genuinely good import who's happy to be approached by her fans. Just don't ask whether the cat on Sabrina is real or not.
David O'Doherty: His hips don't lie. Very curious about what's over the O'Doherty rainbow.
Eddie Ifft: I feel very self conscious about my driving now. Cheers Ed.
Mark Watson: Like his material. Hot, hot, hot.
Carl-Einar Häckner: All my dreams have come true - a Swede, an Elvis jumpsuit and a banana - brilliant.
Sam Simmons: Some things are better left unsaid and it's a good thing Sam knows this.
Arj Baker: Refreshingly funny, insightful new material and if what he said is true, newly single - nothing but wins.
:-( (Frowny Face)
Paul Foot: We'll chalk this up as a “rookie mistake”. His talent was evident, but he'd forgotten to consider to whom he was performing. Gay jokes? Wrong Audience.
Blue Grassy Knoll: Buster Keaton film footage and their 1950's style sound was artistic, but it didn't hit the mark.
Nazeem Hussain: Being the ethnicity that Nazeem is was the only reason he got away with making fun of terrorism and call centres. You gotta be in the club to make these skits work - or it's not really PC.
:-/ (Annoyed Face)
Felicity Ward: Demonstrated a cat going to town on their privates during dinner, nice. But did manage to find the one audience member who was a genuine cat lady to speak to.
Peter Helliar: Followed a cat licking its own anus (FW) with a dog sucking on a footballer's balls. Surprise, shock, horror, Helliar's set was all about sport. Epic Fail.
Smart Casual: Two guys and a guitar. Song was ok, but all been done before, better.
Garfunkel & Oates: Their love song with lots of profanity and subtle hints of sadomasochism did not live up to the hype.
Charlie Pickering: Spoke about The 7pm Project. Yawn.
Greg Fleet & Mick Moriarty: Jumper Pants. Um, where's the joke?
Michelle Sawyer, Citysearch
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User Feedback
April 01, 2011
Srsly, Michelle. I've seen Nazeem perform a dozen times and never saw a hint of what you describe! I'm a huge fan. What do you mean "where's the equality"?
April 01, 2011
Not having a go at him as a comedian. He was spot on and funny - I'm having a go at sets that only revolve around ethnic jokes - where you have to be of that ethnicity to make them work otherwise you get labeled a racist. See Paul Foot's set was going gangbusters till he made a gay joke and it backfired, same as with disabled comedians like Steady Eddie. That's all I'm saying anon.
April 01, 2011
SO, it is not okay for comedians to use their direct and foremost experience of culture as a subject for inquiry? Would it be okay if Nazeem made jokes entirely about white people? Or ignored the very real and repetitive fact of racism? What do you suggest he directs his wit at? And Steady Eddie shouldn't make jokes about disability? Are you serious?
April 01, 2011
Sorry to go on Michelle. But I believe one needs to think carefully before offering review.
April 01, 2011
Should we ask Arj Barker not to do any more Stoner California gags?
April 01, 2011
Maybe Fiona O'Loughlin should lay off on the Irish Catholic material, too. And Seinfeld should not be permitted to do any gags about Judaism. I do apologise for my ire; but I've heard this criticism labelled at Nazeem before and I just don't get it. Where is the comedy by-law that says we should not talk of our experience?
April 01, 2011
His set was funny. He's a great comedian. his material just wasn't saying anything new is all. He delivered it well, and it's a well known fact that comedians source material is generally reflected by their own experiences and lives. I'm not having a go at that. but vairety is the spice of life is all I'm saying. Just because you are Indian shouldn't mean they guy's ENTIRE set is about a call centre, a little more depth and range in his material is the issue here.
April 01, 2011
Agreed on Fi O she does crap on about catholic life a bit, but she mixes it up and her Supershow set had variety and a lil something new so I enjoyed it. I wouldn't really consider stone jokers racist more based on stereotypes - my point is more around the idea that (at a basic level here) a white person can't make jokes about black people, and a straight person can't make a joke about a gay person - again all based on sterotypes but this gets classified more as racism and sexism. Comedy these days unfortuneately comes with a lot more censoring these days with all the crap about having to be PC. Like Minchin says "Only another Ginger can call a Ginger 'Ginger'"
April 01, 2011
I'm very familiar with Nazeem (who is Sri Lankan, not Indian) and I'd say his set offers just as much variety as O'Loughlin's; a woman frequently attacked by some critics, by-the-bye, for being too "female". These criticisms all rest on the assumption that there is some general middle-ground on which we all reside and from which all jokes are made. Seriously, who offers genuine variety? Who speaks outside their direct, lived experience? If you're concerned that Hussein was not saying anything new, then perhaps you might have offered this entirely valid criticism in your review. Instead, you chose to mention his ethnicity; not a thing about his material and its flaws. My argument is not with the quality of his material. You don't like him; I do. This is the way of things with comedy. My argument is that you reviewed him entirely in the terms of race. Again, I think one needs to be very careful in examining one's own perspective before offering this sort of critique.
April 01, 2011
I still don''t understand, Michelle. You're saying that politically correct humour is nonsense. Yet, you critique Nazeem for being politically incorrect.
Michelle
April 01, 2011
Helen, I had 500 words to speak about over 2 and half hours of a 22+ act comedy show. I sorry that I generalised where Nazeem came from, as I don't actually know him personally. He is agreat comedian - which I have said all along. I think it's shame that either Nazeem or the directors felt that they had to get someone of Indian/Sri Lankan decent to fill these type of jokes. I would love to hear Nazeem's views on other, non racially linked things as I think he has a great style and love his toungue in cheek style and that he is very self depricating. Again I only have 500 to cover everthing - 3 more posts to try clear up what a line that I think has maybe been taken out of context. I'm not saying PC humour is nonsense, I just feel that too much is censored these days. With everything - not just comedy and it's a dam shame.
April 01, 2011
Then we should all have a nice cup of tea. After all, there's another 3 weeks of MICF left!
The Situation
April 02, 2011
As Michelle's accompaniment for the evening, i can say, that also as a man of non-white ethnicity, i found Nazeem's bit very sharp, with some good hilarious LOL moments and not bad character acting. I could FEEL the palpable tension in the predominantly white audience when he opened his act with an hilarious observation about the TV show "Allsaints" ... which was that you don't see A SINGLE BROWN OR ASIAN staff member or professional on set. That hit my lolz bone hard and i burst out laughing. The vibe i picked up from the audience was a bit awkward and uncomfortable. And having just undergone surgery at a public hospital yesterday... i can tell you that the entire team of surgeons were chinese, there was an indian and a russian nurse and there in addition to many white australian staff.
The Duke of Brunswick
April 15, 2011
Paul Foot and his cake was one of the funnier acts ive seen in a long time. Forgot 'to whom he was performing', get over yourself.
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