Reviews

Jon and Jero’s The Forgotten Tales review

Melbourne comedy duo Jon and Jero are back with their latest kids’ show The Forgotten Tales. At the start of this year, the pair performed their previous show, STUFF! at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, getting a five star review from yours truly (read it HERE). The Forgotten Tales was highly anticipated by my kids, with the…

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Comedy Review: Dawn French is the only one who can be a comedy queen and a twat

There aren’t many people who would willingly publicise themselves as a “huge twat,” least of all a celebrity. But actress, comedian and writer, Dawn French, is exceptional in every sense. Her latest standup show – an extension of her recent memoir The Twat Files – is all about embracing your failures and relishing every minute…

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Daniel Muggleton takes on an intimate Melbourne crowd at QT, Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Daniel Muggleton is a Sydney-based comedian and rising star on a national tour following his International debut in 2023. Muggleton offers a taste of uncomfortable humour joining a fine lineup of performers this year at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. It is a pleasure to catch him at an intimate performance in QT Melbourne, where he…

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Matt Bell

Matt Bell explores Melbourne’s haunted dating spots in Dead To Me – Melbourne International Comedy Festival

If like me, you wondered how walking around haunted spots in the Melbourne CBD would make the perfect backdrop for a comedy show could possibly ever work, you will be happy to know walking and laughing is the perfect way to spend the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2024.  Our host is comedian and bachelor…

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A laugh riot for kids and parents: Jon and Jero’s STUFF! at Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Jon Walpole and Jeromaia Detto have crafted a comedic gem at this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival with their show STUFF! As Jon and Jero, these two Melbourne comedians bring a whirlwind of laughter and joy to the stage, making it a must-see for families with kids aged 4 and up. The 55-minute show held…

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The Eric Andre Show Live came, saw and chugged some ranch in Sydney

Chug, Chug, Chug! The prevailing chant of The Eric Andre Show Live as the famed absurdist comic brought his touring live show to Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion this past weekend. Andre is right. Aussies love chugging things. And so each and every guest – singer Donny Benet, comedian Nikki Osbourne, and a few audience members –…

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Peter Hellier

Review: The hilarious Peter Hellier headlines at one of Melbourne’s hidden treasures, The Comic’s Lounge (06.10.23)

On Friday 6th, October, I had the pleasure to witness Peter Hellier, one of Australia’s favourite hosts and comedians, live on stage at the iconic The Comic’s Lounge. Peter is well known for his time as the co-host of The Project on Network Ten, a role he retired from in 2022 after eight years. Before…

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Review: Reuben Kaye proves that love and acceptance always triumph over fear and hate

Enmore Road was buzzing. Not just because it was a crisp Saturday night in mid-winter, but because Reuben Kaye was back and his presence at the glorious Enmore Theatre was highly anticipated by the public and police alike. Many words have been written about Kaye’s appearance on The Project in April, but it was the…

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A stage is set up like a backyard with a large slide projected on a screen. The slide shows an old man with a young child. On the stage comedians act out a skit.

Review: Slide Night! with Rove McManus at the Sydney Opera House will have you reaching for your projector

Cultivating an atmosphere of neighbourly fun, Slide Night! at the Sydney Opera House brings together some of Sydney’s most prolific comedic talent for a night of laughs and nostalgia. Hosted by Rove McManus, the audience is invited to an old-school backyard BBQ complete with music (from the skilful Benny Davis), games and a slide show….

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Sydney Comedy Festival Gala Review: International comedy is back and it’s frenetic

The Sydney Comedy Festival has finally rolled around and it’s time for four weeks of comedy to take over a multitude of venues in the city, but first, the fabulous Sydney Opera House gets to host one of the opening week galas that showcase a selection of artists to be found on the programme. A…

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Adelaide Fringe Review: Michael Shafar is definitely well worth the chemo

Michael Shafar is a testicular cancer survivor, hence the chemo joke. It was what his oncologist told him after he had seen the show; “You were well worth the chemo, Michael.” Which is a pretty good recommendation. On a Tuesday night after a long weekend, the house is full. Even if the stage is an…

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Live Review: The Purple Rabbit – Perth Fringe World (25.01.23)

  The Perth Fringe World started last weekend and often as a casual punter it can be hard to know what to go and see, but The Purple Rabbit (showing January 25 to February 5) stands out early as a must for keen audiences. The AU Review was lucky enough to be invited along for…

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Tim Minchin

Digital Review: Tim Minchin: Back delivers on the old songs, new songs and f**k you songs

Chameleon comedian and musician, Tim Minchin has had some busy years working in theatre and on films. After an eight-year break away from live touring, he returned to the live stage with his show, Back, only for Covid-19 to hit. Filmed live at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire in the UK, Back is a clever blend…

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Adelaide Cabaret Fringe Festival review: Fiona O’Loughlin is back and glorious

Fiona O’Loughlin was a regular face on television in the 90s. Her self-deprecating humour about her home and family life made her a popular guest on several chat shows. That came to an end after she collapsed on stage and admitted that she was battling alcoholism. Now that she is clean and recovered, O’Loughlin is…

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Brisbane Comedy Festival Review: Poncho Orange: Keep It Up!; come for the allure, stay for the education

Whilst it’s perfectly understandable for audiences to attend a comedy show under the assumption they’ll be humorously entertained, the moments of seriousness and self-reflection are often what stay with you.  Such is the case with Poncho Orange: Keep It Up!, the latest one-man-show from melting pot oddball clown Dani Cabs, a 60-minute journey into his…

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Cameron James

Sydney Comedy Festival Review: Cameron James – Electric Dreams

  Nostalgia. It can happen to anyone, any time. The song that’s playing, that film you saw, the piece of memorabilia you found in your parent’s cupboard. They can spark memories of a time and place that you may have thought you’d forgotten. It’s those feelings of going back, remembering and sometimes cringing that Cameron…

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Greg Larsen

Sydney Comedy Festival: Greg Larsen – We All Have Bloody Thoughts

There could not be a more suitable title for a comedy show. We All Have Bloody Thoughts is exactly what you’d expect from a comedian that is known for quite shouty diatribes, especially from his appearances on the now defunct ‘Tonightly’ show, various other stand-up appearances or his opinion articles which dance on the line between…

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Brisbane Comedy Festival Review: Garry Starr: Greece Lightning revels in its witty, smutty irreverence

Have you ever wanted to hear an explicit rap about the incestual ways of ancient Greek figures set to the tune of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”? Or how about The Little Mermaid‘s “Under the Sea” as a spoken word piece, all the while its performer is donned in a mermaid tail being glistened by…

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Gabi Bolt performs on stage at the State Theatre Sydney.

Review: Sydney learns to laugh again as the Sydney Comedy Festival kicks of at The State Theatre

The Sydney Comedy Festival Gala at The State Theatre was a sneak peek of some of the acts which will form the line-up of this year’s festival. With talent from around the world, each act was given 5 minutes to impress the crowd enough to get you to buy tickets to their show and provide…

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Adelaide Fringe review: Daniel Muggleton is white and wrong (but mostly white)

Daniel Muggleton is an Australian stand-up comedian wearing a tracksuit. His trademark comedy is poking holes at bogans, racism, and almost anything else he can think of. He has a regular podcast and is a comedy club regular. On this chilly Tuesday night in the open-air Piglet Theatre at Gluttony, he wasn’t fazed by the…

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Adelaide Fringe Review: Liars and Clowns serve up comedy allsorts

The Producer’s Hotel has had a chequered life but is currently undergoing renovation and is starting to regain some of her former glory. The main room has larger events but upstairs is where the comedy lives. It is in one of the upstairs former bedrooms that Liars and Clowns, A Late Night Comedy Show is…

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Adelaide Fringe Review: Suren Jayemanne describes being an Industry Darling Adjacent

The Rhino Room is considered Adelaide’s premier venue for comedy. The 2022 Fringe program is huge and this year they’re hosting over 50 performers with 16 shows per night, five nights a week. With this incredible choice, it can be difficult for some performers to break through the noise and find an audience. It was…

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Adelaide Fringe Review: Surviving Matt Hale’s Hypnotic Chaos

Matt Hale is a self-confessed comedy hypnotist, with self-help motivational and corporate entertainment packages a major part of his life. It makes sense then that a show called Absolute Chaos would be on the Fringe list. Hale’s introduction to the show is measured, thorough and complete. He explains the process and jokingly warns that even…

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Sarah Gaul

Adelaide Fringe Review: Sarah Gaul wants to be a WIFE. Or does she?

Sarah Gaul is a 31-year-old woman who’s been to more weddings in the last six months than she cares to admit. Always the bridesmaid but never the bride? Sarah takes the audience on a journey into her world, her take on relationships and what makes her tick. First things first, Sarah is an eco-warrior. She…

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Fringe World Review: Lisa Woodbrook’s comedic twist on Amy Winehouse & Lily Allen

Fringe World Festival is back in Perth despite the hardest of hard borders in WA but the local talent is shining, with Lisa Woodbrook‘s It’s Not Me, It’s Definitely You: Songs of Amy Winehouse & Lily Allen a fine example. As a supremely talented vocalist, Woodbrook’s show – as the title suggests – contains plenty of…

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In Oh, More Mr White Guy, Daniel Muggleton’s easy likeable personality shines through

Daniel Muggleton leaps out onto the stage, both noticeable and memorable for his bright red tracksuit. A fine fashion choice? Probably not, but if you Google “tracksuit comedian”, he is on the top of the list. So, it’s perhaps a wise one. The venue (Gluttony‘s Piglet – not Adelaide’s Rhino Room where you’ll see him this Thursday)…

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Comedy Review: Grey hair is glitter and other lessons from A Flying Photon

Arriving off the back of a successful run at the Adelaide Fringe, A Flying Photon at Giant Dwarf in Sydney is science, with a twist. The twist being – it’s actually interesting. We are introduced to Rachel Rayner, Science Explainer, who is a ‘science communicator, poet and performer’. With a background in physics, Rayner begins…

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Circus Review: The Dumtectives in Cirque Noir is a dazzling blend of acrobatics, slapstick and adult comedy

A perfectly stupendous amount of ‘Dum’! The critically acclaimed and globally touring Australian circus company, Dummies Corp, lights up the stage at The Famous Spiegeltent in Melbourne with their first adult-themed circus comedy – The Dumtectives in Cirque Noir. As part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, this show blasts you into a world of…

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Adelaide Fringe Review: Daniel Muggleton is so much more than Mr White Guy

Daniel Muggleton leaps out onto the stage at Adelaide Fringe, both noticeable and memorable for his bright red tracksuit. A fine fashion choice? Probably not, but if you Google “tracksuit comedian”, he is on the top of the list. So, it’s perhaps a wise one. The venue (Gluttony‘s Piglet) is probably not the best available…

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Adelaide Fringe Review: Confessions of a Fake-Fake Psychic exposes magical secrets

As the audience assembles in the foyer of the Mill, yellow envelopes are handed out. The instructions are to write a question for the Fake-Fake Psychic and seal them within the envelope. We place them in a glass bowl near the stage as we enter. A statement is projected up on the screen. Words are…

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