Today on the show, host Mike Brown chats to Marcus Newman and Sean Ryan of St Kilda comedy room Commedia Dell Parte about being in a hidden laneway bar, drama school days, and what to do with drop-ins. Commedia Dell Parte is back tonight – 8.30pm at the George Lane Bar in St Kilda and runs on a pay what you like system.
Also mentioned: Mike saw sketch show Max and Ivan and it was great. Max and Ivan appear in Con Artists – 9.45pm Tuesday through Saturday at the Town Hall, 8.45pm on Sundays. Tickets are on sale at Ticketmaster.
Today’s MICF Daily News:
– Dave Hughes has been a toasty pick this festival. Punters rolled out the dough for Melbourne’s favourite funny man, prompting promoters to rise from their seats and add extra shows. But that wasn’t enough, because Hughesy has pulled his Freezer Bread out of the ice box and is going to defrost it five more times during MICF 2013. Hughes gets the laughs going from Tuesday April 16 through Saturday April 20, 8.30pm at the Forum. Tickets are on sale now for all shows at Ticketmaster – but expect them to be snapped up quicker than a fresh loaf down at your local bakery.
– CINEMA SCREENINGS: If you like you’re comedy on the big screen, the festival has you covered this weekend. Tonight ACMI hosts a special screening of Monty Python classic Life of Brian. Tomorrow night, ACMI will screen Reel Funny: Red Hot Shorts; a collection of some of the wittiest short films ever made. Both of these screenings take place at 7.15pm, tickets from the ACMI website. And if you still need more, Greg Fleet‘s comedy TV series Die On Your Feet will be shown Saturday at the RMIT Capitol Theatre. This one is totally free but you need to RSVP to get a ticket, email [email protected] to gain entry.
– POP-UP SHOWS: In a year where 450+ shows exist on the official Comedy Festival schedule, it’s amazing how many unofficial shows have popped up. One is Squidboy, which will appear at the Tuxedo Cat for four nights only. The winner of 2013 Auckland Fringe’s Best Performance Award, Squidboy is described as “an hour of pure whimsy and imagination”. The show starts tonight at 8.30pm and is on tomorrow, Saturday, and Sunday. Tickets are on sale now for the four shows, at TryBooking.
– Also on at the Tuxedo Cat – A Young Man Dressed As A Gorilla Dressed As An Old Man Sits Rocking In A Rocking Chair For Fifty-Six Minutes And Then Leaves, While On The Other Side Of The Planet Another Young Man Dressed As A Gorilla Dressed As An Old Man Sits Rocking In A Rocking Chair For Fifty-Six Minutes And Then Leaves. The young man suits up this Saturday night, 12:30 to 1:26am, tickets at the door.
– Meanwhile, Richmond venue The Owl and the Pussycat continue hosting The Owl’s Adelaide Fringe Festival Showcase through Saturday. Tonight, The Owl brings you Angus Hodge is Thematically Challenged at 8pm, with Bane II at 9.30pm. Tomorrow, another edition of Angus Hodge is Thematically Challenged at 8pm, followed by Bane III at 9.30pm. Tickets are on sale now for the event from TryBooking.
– Also popping up at the festival is Nick Coyle, down from Sydney for two shows only. Coyle, who was here last year for the festival with his show Me Pregnant! will return to Melbourne with new show Double Treatment. See Double Treatment Wednesday April 17 and Thursday April 18, 8pm at 25a Eastment St Northcote. Tickets are $15 on the door.
– PODCASTS: Podcast The Sweetest Plum tapes a live episode tonight at Trades Hall. Special guests Lawrence Mooney, Wilbur Wilde, and Steven Gates from Tripod will drop by the popular show, hosted by Nick Maxwell and Declan Fay. See The Sweetest Plum live tonight, 11pm at the Bella Union Bar. Tickets from bellaunion.com.au or at the door.
– Another podcast taping this weekend is Something for the Drive Home. The show, hosted by Melbourne comics Bart Freebairn and Nick Cody is known for its low brow humour and love of recording in interesting locations. The two will be at Five Boroughs Bar on Hardware Lane this Sunday night from 8.30pm, get your tickets from TryBooking. Nick Cody also appears in Inappropriate, 8.30pm tonight at Tony Starr’s Kitten Club, and Bart Freebairn appears in The Age of Wonder, 9.30pm tonight at Spleen.
– If you can’t get out to see any of the podcast tapings, why not listen to many of the episodes taped in this past week at the festival? I Love Green Guide Letters brought on Pete Holmes, Kate Langbroek, and Merrick Watts to love this week’s letters, with The Little Dum Dum Club hosted Tom Gleeson, Luke McGregor, and international superstar Nick Cody.
– LATE NIGHT: Comedy Bonanza returns to Festival Club this evening with a big lineup in store. Claire Hooper, Jimmy McGhie, Jeff Green, Dayne Rathbone, and Nina Conti are on the bill, along with Matt Okine hosting. Festivities kick off 11.15pm at The Hi-Fi Bar, tickets at the door. And remember, if you can’t get to The Hi-Fi tonight Comedy Up Late airs on ABC2 at 10.30pm.
– Also up late tonight, Late Night Theatresports gets the improv going, 11pm tonight at the Town Hall. Dom Romeo launches into the questions with another edition of Stand-Up Sit-Down: Comics in Conversation, also at 11pm at the Victoria Hotel. Other late night shows include Facty Fact, The New Conway Tonight Show, Capital Punishment, The After Party, Blernshaw Comedy, a special late night edition of Picture This!, and my personal favourite late night show, Ali McGregor’s Late-Nite Variety-Nite Night. For a full list of shows on today at the Comedy Festival, check it’s official website at comedyfestival.com.au.
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