All posts tagged: #melbourne

MICF Review: Self Sabotage

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Last week we checked out up-and-coming comedian, George Dimarelos in his Melbourne Comedy Festival stand up show – Self Sabotage, at the Bull and Bear Tavern. Self Sabotage weaves in and out of various tales and recollections throughout George’s life when, essentially, he stuffed things up for himself.  Though simplistic to describe, the stories are fun, and told in a warm, self-effacing manner through which you can’t help but be drawn in, as the story comes to life in front of you. He sure can paint a picture with his words. George has a super high energy execution, which he maintained for the entire performance, leaving literally no opportunity to tune out, a real sign of an interesting, engaging and entertaining show. Our highlight, was his musical evolution portrayal of picking up girls, from the 1950’s through to a very intense modern day interpretation of chatting up in a nightclub, which is pretty much burned into our memory. My how times have changed. Audience engagement in this show is continuous but not uncomfortable, more like …

MICF Review: Coloured Aliens

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Coloured Aliens is a short insight into the interracial relationship between two main characters, Mai Nguyen a struggling female Vietnamese-Australian playwrite and Kevin, her white, western boyfriend, a security guard who grew up in the rough areas of Melbourne. Each role is ironically played by a western woman (Mai) – Melbourne-based performer Annie Lumsden, and Kevin, by Asia-Australian John Marc Desengano, a quirky twist which works to lighten some of the heavy content of the piece. The chemistry between the two characters was easy, warm and believable. Mai, the main character was narcissistic, self-absorbed, irritating and difficult to like – the kind of character that has a chip on their shoulder, who holds onto the sins of forefathers past and thus cripples themselves with blinkers, unable to embrace the positive around them. This, thankfully was balanced with Kevin’s sweeter, more simplistic nature. Though the intelligent insights, cleverly disguised as witty banter between two lovers were aimed to re-educate western audience members, we felt a little uncomfortable and guilty, for no reason which made the experience …

MICF Review: Desperate & Dateless

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As comedy shows go, Ginger and Tonic’s ‘Desperate and Dateless’ is funny but not overly hilarious…. however it doesn’t matter at all, this fabulous foursome of ladies in red have voices like naughty angels, offer all the fun and entertainment of  Pitch Perfect, but without the hideous cup song and put forward cheeky, relevant content about the modern world of being single, desperate and well…. dateless. Their repertoire was a mix of original lyrics to familiar tunes (our favourite, Tinderella, is one that we guarantee you won’t be able to walk away from the theatre without it stuck in your head), plus parodies and some straight up covers – including an awesome Salt n’ Pepa rap from Laura “Burzy’ Burzacott – fantastic! The 2017 Melbourne International Comedy Festival offering has taken a definite shift this year to be more inclusive and cognisant of the LGBTI community, it’s a refreshing move and one that unifies Melbourne’s festivals as cultured, educated, appealing and open to all, and we were exited to see that this show was on board …

MICF Review: Sink Full of Forks

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The first show we were invited to attend as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival was Jacqueline Mifsud’s – ‘Sink Full of Forks.’ Jacqueline is an already established performer, a co-host of the CH31 news satire program ‘The Leak’ and also works with Fox Sports as a warm up comedian, she’s someone who’s taken time to hone her craft and we, the audience get to enjoy the fruits of her labour. Sink Full of Forks (and yes, this phrase DOES get a well-linked reference in the material presented) is Jacqueline’s second MICF show and includes tales of her time in France rock-starring as an unpaid tour guide surviving on tips alone, references to meaningful conversations with staplers, heartbreaking woes of going through a break up as well some serious home truths for the intelligent, independent woman. Jacqueline is is charming and funny, and not just haha funny. We literally had tears running down our cheeks from laughter, even pausing after one particularly awesome punch line to have a ‘Pete-and-Manu-like knowing glance’ between us. This …

Top 5 – MICF Under 30 Club

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We’re always keen to check out some up and coming Melbourne International Comedy Festival performers to round out a full festival experience, and 2017 will be no exception. Not only are tickets to these shows cheaper than larger more established names, you’ll also get the supreme pleasure of saying to your friends in 2 years’ time…. ‘I totally saw them before they were huge..’ Enter, our top 5 picks for shows this festival featuring comedians under 30 who are making their mark (or already have) this MICF. Sam Taunton – Taunts Down for What Sam was a RAW Comedy finalist and has self-appointed himself as Australia’s premier yarn man. His show covers important topics like his regretful teenage years, travel, and whether he cleans his bed enough. 30 March – 23 April 2017. Tickets and more information on MICF website. Becky Lucas – Little Bitch Becky has previously written for TV’s Please Like Me, and has already opened for big names like Wil Anderson and Joel Creasey. Her show, Little Bitch has been described as …

Our rather large MICF giveaway

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We know how it is. Every year the Melbourne International Comedy Festival rolls around, you lose your mind trying to plan ahead and see as many shows as possible, and then just end up missing out on everything. What if we took that planning away from you. What if we had a huge bunch of FREE tickets to giveaway, to check out some seriously talented performers. And what if you could take a friend? Well, all of your little Melbourne Comedy Festival dreams have come true. We’ve got double passes to see all of the shows listed below, just take your pick, enter below before the listed cut off date and you’ll go into the draw. Check back here regularly as we add new performances to this list. It’s that simple. Terms and conditions of entry available here. The Comedy Zone Where: Trades Hall – Old Council Chambers, Cnr Lygon & Victoria Streets, Carlton When: Monday, 3 April @ 8.15pm Catch these exciting new stars in action before they’re breaking news worldwide. Do not adjust your sets – these …

2017 MICF Interviews

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The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is returning in 2017 with a spectacular line up of local and international performers in over 500 shows – running for four, hilariously entertaining weeks. We caught up with three local performers, and got their thoughts on the festival, tips on how best to enjoy it and the inside oil on their upcoming shows…. Gillian Cosgriff – 8 Songs in 8 Weeks What about the MICF gets you excited? Seeing as many shows as I can, especially new ones. This year I’m hanging out to see Liam Ryan, Double Denim, and Alice Tovey. Also, eating my own body weight in potato cakes. What’s your top three recommendations for visitors to Melbourne to get the most out of MICF? 1. Take a chance on a show you’ve never heard of before – a new venue, a new genre of comedy, someone who flyers you in the street. 2. Go to the Festival Club to see a bunch of comedians in one show. It’s a great way to find a comedian you …

Choose Trainspotting Live

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You know the drill. Choose life. Choose a career. Choose a family…. Choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and tin can openers.. and so in. We all know it, we all love it, and an exciting news, this cult-classic Irvine Welsh novel adaptation is hitting Melbourne stages from 22 March – 13 April 2017. Not many people know, but the stage adaptation of Trainspotting was actually written before the movie was made by Harry Gibson. Presented by Andrew Kay, Associates and Kings Head Theatre, and in it’s 21st year, it continues to simultaneously make it’s audience laugh, cry and cringe as they are fully immersed into the heroin-fueled world of Renton, Begbie and Sickboy. Trainspotting is entirely immersive, meaning you as the audience are actually a part of the story. It’s pitched as raw, uncomfortable (in the best ways possible) and kicks off with a rave complete with strobe lighting and glow-sticks – so you know it’s going to be non-stop. It comes with a warning: Don’t wear your best clothes….. we say, ‘Choose casual comfort.’ Where: fortyfivedownstairs, 45 Flinders …

Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival

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This year Melbourne’s largest celebration fashion is running for ten, gorgeous days. Aiming to be bigger and better than the previous years, the festival will include world-class runway events from well-known, and up and coming Australian designers, beauty workshops, industry Q&A’s, live entertainment and more. Not just restricted to Melbourne CBD, the festival will this year kick off with smaller Fashion Weekend events in key shopping meccas like Chapel Street, High Street, Chadstone and Glenferrie Road – all activated with exclusive discounts and activities for shoppers, but will really ramp up with the Vogue / David Jones Gala Runway to be held at the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton on the 14th of March. For those who are more into the countercultural or functional elements of fashion, there are several interesting workshops running like ‘Sequin-Savvy: The History of Calisthenics Fashion’ and an International Women’s Day forum breakfast on 8 March, presented by Marie Claire and Mimco. Don’t forget to check out the Priceline Pharmacy Festival of Beauty pop, located in the Plaza, just outside the …

Arts Review: All This Living

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As the intro to this piece states, ‘age comes to us all you know,’ we’re reminded of this in the opening act, a recollection of a bathroom encounter, when some young pretty things, applying lipstick in the mirror, label the character, Jay, portrayed beautifully by Camilla Blunden, ‘just an old woman.’ This comment, makes it real for her, and thus launches the rest of the performance where she digs deeply into the phenomenon of getting old, and how over time, older women somehow lose their voice, become invisible, and incorrectly feel they have become a burden to society. As the piece progresses, she attempts to turn these beliefs on their head, re-empowering women, as wise, important, highly visible beings with stories to tell, all the while batting off the inner voices that creep up, and try to convince her otherwise. This show was difficult to follow in parts, as the narrative jumped from whimsical inner thought to thought, from real life to fantasy through paint stores, pots and pans, to magical woods filled with fiery …