Venezuelan virtuoso, Ivan Aristeguieta is renowned for his ability to whip up an extremely entertaining show based around one of his greatest passions – food. In his latest instalment, Chorizo Sizzle, Ivan takes his audiences through Australian and international culture and of course, cuisine.
With an unstoppable energy level, he danced up onto the stage with incredible charm. Whether it was his hip thrusts or the lack of air-con, it wasn’t long before the entire room was warming up. Offering up “a live version” of his gala performance to start, Ivan quickly apologised to those who had already seen it, although absolutely nobody seemed to mind. Smashing out his love story with the ultimate sausage sizzle, the talent expressed his deep interest in perfecting an Australian classic. Ivan soon revealed that yes, that’s where the name resides from, not a “Spanish gay porn site”.
The main thing on the menu of Ivan’s brand new show was a worldwide vision on food technology, flavours and secret recipes. Originally from Venezuela and with a Spanish background, Ivan’s take on many of Australian eating traditions and acquired taste is quite amusing. From our love of all things toast to our very small portions of Vegemite, there was no food group off limits. Along with the commentary came a variety of outrageous stories, weaved throughout in an effortless manner. Ivan’s ability to entice his audience with a simple description of a meal is a talent in itself. Clearly a trained professional, his sheer admiration for his two crafts, food and comedy, has created one hell of a show.
A bilingual entertainer, Ivan’s exotic background is not only enticing, but is also integral in his act. Sharing stories of his family, in particular his grandmother, the talent enables his audience to feel as though they know them personally, along with Ivan himself. Taking us through a recent break-up, the comic completely commits to each and every story, resulting in an all access pass into his life, which grants him the key to our hopelessly romantic and hungry hearts.
Capturing attention with his more than capable, casually cool, yet firecracker conduct; Ivan’s most anticipated achievement is calling out those who engage in elective food allergies or intolerances. Another fine offering from the Melbourne Comedy Festival gods, Chorizo Sizzle is sizzling, scorching and even a tad scandalous.
By Phoebe Robertson
