“Hellish is a word that comes to mind,” says David Quirk. I
“Hellish is a word that comes to mind,” says David Quirk. It wasn’t all bad, though. “It was a good way of losing weight,” he recalls. Quirk is talking about the fact he performed two shows a night at last year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival – Neanderthal Brow, his solo stand-up show, and the award-winning two-hander with Sam Simmons, The Incident.
“People got to see me do something stupid and fun, which probably confused those who came to my solo show for the first time because my comedy isn’t really like that. Sam taught me a lot though. I think I love him,” says Quirk of their absurdist play which won the 2010 Golden Gibbo.
Collaborating with Simmons has changed the way he’s approached his new solo show, says Quirk. “It’s a bit more theatrical; it’s more of a show than just talking or telling jokes for an hour or so,” he says of The Day I Ate Wombat.
Quirk, who is forging a reputation for the darker side of the funny, says he originally expected the show to be about dreams, sins and “the bad stuff I’ve done in my life”. With a season at the recent Adelaide Fringe Festival under his belt, the show has since evolved. “It seems to be more about dancing and vomiting, why eating wombat is bad for you, dogs on ecstasy, humiliation and twincest. I guess the show is still about dreams and sins, just not in the way I thought it would be”.
He’s quick to clarify one point. “Twincest isn’t a dream of mine at all, but something I’ve heard about in my waking life. More of a nightmare.”
David Quirk performs The Day I Ate Wombat at The Portland Hotel from March 31 – April 24 but not on Mondays. It’s at 9.45pm Tuesday – Sunday and 8,45pm on Sundays. Tickets are $15 – $22.50 and available from Ticketmaster online, 1300 660 013 or on the door.
