Since the Melbourne International Comedy Festival is in full swing, we here at the AU Review have decided to give a whole bunch of performers who have travelled far and wide to the most funniest month in Melbourne’s year five quick questions ahead of their performances.
The first of these is with Alex Edelman who is in town with his show Everything Handed To You exploring all things Millennial.
What do you personally find enlightening about comedy today?
I don’t know if I’d use the word “enlightening” but I find the youthful energy of the comedy scenes in London, New York, Los Angeles and Melbourne enormously encouraging. You have all these rich and vital voices of all ages — Dana Gould in the US is on the older side, but his comedy is as resonant and funny with young people as anyone going.
How much has your performance changed since last year’s comedy festival?
It’s a new solo show! I’ve gotten a bit more physical than last year and I’m trying more stuff that centers on different looks and pauses.
If you were to allowed to perform in any other public place other than a comedy venue or theatre, what would that place be? Describe the surrounds…
It’d be a music festival, I suppose, if that counts. Nothing is as great as a comedy venue, but there are so many things that can be comedy venues. Jeremy Burke and Olivia Doud run Best Fish Taco and Good Heroin, respectively. They’re my two favorite shows in Los Angeles, and one is at a taco place and the other is in the parking lot behind an alty bookstore.
Who else – apart from your own show – would you recommend to see at this year’s MICF?
Aw jeez. Lots of options. We’ll do these by country.
Americans: you should catch Jen Kirkman and the Headliners folks. Brits: Joel Dommett, Al Murray, Mae Martin – she’s Canadian but she lives in London and she’s SO great – Sara Pascoe and God, um, there are so many more. David O’Doherty is Irish and fuck, is he funny. Ditto for Scottish alcoholic Daniel Sloss.
Aussies: Steen Raskopolous, Felicity Ward, Nick Cody, Celia Pacquola are all some of my absolute faves. True Aussie Patriots is a sketch show and it’s so so so hilarious. I was in tears. Rose Matafeo is Kiwi, but brill.
What message are you hoping audiences come away with after they see your show?
A voice message. Gosh, it’s been forever since I got one of those and I just think folks would enjoy getting them and if they turned on their phone after leaving my show and they came away with it then the message would really cheer them up. Not that they need cheering up after my show. No, you shut up.
Alex Edlemen’s Everything Handed To You is playing at the Melbourne Town Hall until April 17 as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Grab your tickets to his show here.
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