James Acaster has been nominated for the Best Comedy Show an unprecedented five times. And, as an added fun fact, that’s five consecutive years he’s been shortlisted for the top prize. It’s an extraordinary achievement, by any standard, and a good indicator of how solidly consistent his work is. “I’m very chuffed with the whole thing but you can’t take it too seriously,” the stand-up says, from Britain.
“I never thought I’d get nominated for anything, so you don’t ever assume it’s going to happen,” says Acaster. “It was never a goal to win an award. You write every show because you’re trying to improve and trying to build your audience. When I got my first nomination, I was delighted. And really, every time it’s happened since I feel the same.”
Melbourne International Comedy Festival audiences are going to get a chance to see three of those nominated shows, as Acaster is presenting The Trelogy: including 2014’s Recognise, which has not been previously seen in Melbourne, 2015’s Represent and last year’s Reset. Capping it off, he’ll be rolling through them in chronological order every three nights.
“It feels good to be able to take these three shows out on tour and say they all achieved the same thing,” he says. “I like that I can’t pick a favourite. They’re all equally important to me.”
While the three shows are linked in that they all have a legal leaning to them, in the first show, he’s an undercover cop; the second, he’s on jury duty and the third, he’s in on a honey selling scam – the personal subtext is exploring doubt and certainty, although he says it’s not essential they are all seen in order.
“See them in order if you can but if you can’t, don’t panic because I think watching them in whatever order will still work,” he says.
Having toured them extensively throughout the UK and with several years passing since a couple of them were written, Acaster says the shows have changed a lot.
“Even if you’ve seen a show before in Melbourne, come see it again because it will be different,” he says. “Also, I loved the festival so much last year – it was probably my favourite week of comedy that I got to do last year – so the more people who come back the better. They were great audiences.”
By Joanne Brookfield
Venue: Melbourne Town Hall – Lower Town Hall
Dates: Tuesday April 4 – Sunday April 16 (no show Monday April 10)
Duration: 60 minutes
Tickets: $29 – $38
