New Zealand born, Brisbane raised, and globally travelled, Chris Wainhouse, has been in the comedy game for over 20 years. The son of a fundamental Christian mother, it should come as no surprise for those that know Chris’s material, that his views are somewhat different – after all, he called his most recent Melbourne International Comedy Festival show (MICF) ‘The …
062: Nadine Sparks – From improv to stand-up comedy
Nadine Sparks loves learning comedy. At aged 12 she began learning improvisation comedy, including a course at 18 at the highly respected NIDA, then performing with Improv Conspiracy, before travelling to the US to learn the Chicago method. And then seven years ago Nadine did a stand-up comedy course, and this resulted in her first five-minute performance at the Exford …
061: Lee Ton – Persistence pays for a comedy career
Lee Ton first tried his hand at stand-up comedy in 2008. Ten years later, and with a couple of comedy courses under his belt, Lee has found himself performing at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF), headlining with Richard Stubbs, and being specially cast for a reality stand-up comedy TV show, “Is This Thing On?“. Lee’s recent success has been …
055: Nikki Osborne – Go hard or go home
In her very first Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) show, Nikki Osborne not only sold out, but also managed to attract over 100,000 dollars of free, or ‘earned’, publicity for her show “On the Spectrum”. That was the good news. The bad news was she also endured an emotional onslaught for her show’s topic – autism. In this School of …
MICF Review – Carvin H Goldstone – The Other South African Comedian
There’s few topics that are taboo when you’re part Indian, Zulu, Jewish, and plump. And in a display of misdirection, acting, and observational comedy, Carvin H Goldstone seamlessly and refreshingly discusses race, religion, accents, and doilies, without flinching. And while there is toilet humour, Carvin is completely clean, with no swearing in his comedy set. Those familiar with South Africa …
MICF Review – Cameron James – Chilled Out/Fired Up
Several months ago I had the pleasure of being introduced to the comedy of Cameron James. He was the crowd pleasing headliner, performing at Riverina Comedy Club in Wagga Wagga, to a massively warm crowd. What a contrast to his Melbourne International Comedy Festival show – performed in a small office, converted into a performance space. Not that this affected …
The Stand-up Comedy Disruptors
When it comes to stand-up comedy, not much has changed in the last 30 years. Turn up to a pub that runs an open mic night, perform five minutes of embarrassing jokes – repeat. Do that for three or four years, night after night, and you might have a shot at the big time. Maybe. That’s how Christine Basil got …
MICF Review – The Kagools – Kula
Two ladies from cities in the UK most Australians have never heard of, wearing an item of clothing most Australians wont know, driving vehicles most Australians have never seen. And yet The Kagools managed to launch on stage in a hi-octane, fast paced show that had everyone in the audience clapping and cheering from the very onset. With over 700 …
MICF Review – Gavin Sempel – Plain and Sempel
For someone so lightly framed, Gavin Sempel’s humour packs a punch. Indeed, the seemingly incidental goings on in most people’s lives, become highly visible targets, ripe for the Sempel comedic treatment. More often than not the target is Sempel himself (as well as the “odd” family member) which he pounds relentlessly with self-deprecating effect. Born and raised in Sydney’s west, …