COMEDY FESTIVAL
The Age
Wednesday March 31, 2010
THE CLIFF YOUNG SHUFFLE ˜…˜…˜…˜… Hannah Gadsby, Melbourne Town Hall, Until April 18, 7pm Tues-Sat, 6pm Sun, $21.90-$24.90 HANNAH Gadsby describes herself as one of life's slow starters. Also a heavy smoker and drinker, you wouldn't have picked her as a likely candidate to walk across England, but that's the task she set herself last year. A journey, of course, makes a neat topic for a live show, as it provides a beginning, middle and end, and Gadsby is a self-deprecating, likeable and endearingly flawed narrator. She's also bitchy, with a wry, antisocial attitude that allows us to share in the negative thoughts that we'd all have in her situation but would never express aloud. We learn her nicknames for other hikers €” the "Wallies" particularly annoy her €” and are fascinated by the big question she keeps asking herself: if this is so hard, and I hate it so much, why am I still going? Gadsby is a great storyteller and her story an entertaining triumph against the odds.TIM RICHARDSMEMOIRS OF A HUMAN CANNONBALL ˜…˜… Matt Wilson, Blackbox, the Arts Centre, until April 17, Tues-Sat 7pm, Sun 6pm, $25/$20 FORMER Circus Oz performer Matt Wilson's show has a terrific hook €” it tells the story of how he gave up doing a "human cannonball" stunt after a horrific accident. Mixing songs, sketches and slides, Wilson takes us into the mindset of the daredevil. Unfortunately, the most fascinating aspect of the show €” the behind-the-scenes look at death-defying performers €” is not given enough room to develop. Instead, we get far too many songs that, while pleasant to listen to, rarely deliver laughs or move the story along. Wilson and his popcorn-selling sidekick PK are charismatic performers, but should have allowed their real-life stories to come to the fore rather than falling back on panto-style gimmicks. The highlight of the show is Wilson's graphic description of his accident. It's not funny but it's the moment when the story becomes truly engaging.CRAIG PLATTTHE INCIDENT ˜…˜…˜…˜… Sam Simmons and David Quirk, Melbourne Town Hall, Tues-Sat 7.15pm, Sun 6.15pm, $15-$22 A MAN walks into a shop and is touched up by the shop assistant. So begins this surreal exploration of masculinity and men's insecurities by Sam Simmons and David Quirk. Not for the easily offended €” there's mimed masturbation, swearing and plenty of sexual references €” The Incident successfully uses adult-themed humour to mock men's sexual obsessions, not celebrate them. Nor is it for audiences seeking undemanding stand-up. Instead, this production fuses Simmons' absurdist humour with Quirk's pitch-black observational comedy, to great success. Braggadocio, boys and their toys, and buddy movies all cop a serve, interspersed with mock ad breaks and a satirical take on current affairs. but the show is at its best when Quirk and Simmons frankly explore the difference between mates and mating. Male bonding has never been funnier.RICHARD WATTS
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