Abby Howells | La Soupco
Chinese Museum, until April 21

Some people are born storytellers. Abby Howells is one. Ostensibly we’re here to experience the screenplay La Soupco, written by Howells at age 11. And we do. And we love it. Her knack for drama, pathos and comedy clearly showed itself early. As well as this seminal work, we’re treated to tangents and tales from 33-year-old Howells.

She’s that one friend who can have you laughing at any story, from catching the plague to being drowned. Is it her *chef’s kiss* impersonations? The irresistible delight she has in telling you her weird takes? Her 100 per cent commitment to the bit? All of the above.

Diving into Howells’ brain is madcap fun, free from the tyranny of trying to be topical or relatable. Instead, here is an inimitable style and a stage presence that disarms. Nobody else could deliver this gem of a show. It’s all Howells and all the better for it.
★★★★★
Reviewed by Lefa Singleton Norton

Damien Power | Not So Funny Now Is It?
Comedy Republic, until April 21

Damien Power is right where we want him: bitter but not twisted, surviving but not exactly thriving (he’s living in his dad’s basement), deliciously resigned to the “maddening life” of a stand-up comedian.

Eighteen years into his career, the cerebral Queensland performer delivers one of his finest hours of material, frequently tap-dancing in the minefield of good taste (just as Tom Gleeson does, who was quietly chuckling in the audience on the night I attended) and somehow never blowing himself up.

Power scorches the earth with edgy gear on ocker father figures, disabled sportsmen, wimpy children, the questionable workplace culture of builders, TikTok influencers and mainstream terrorist organisations (“I liked their early stuff”) with astounding attention to detail. He baits and switches most punchlines to a heaving, up-for-it crowd.

Could this be the year he finally wins Most Outstanding Show? Surely he’ll be right up there. It’s a joy to watch a narky artist in total command of his craft.
★★★★★
Reviewed by Mikey Cahill

Urooj Ashfaq | Oh No!
Melbourne Town Hall, until April 14

Urooj Ashfaq begins with a self-deprecating line about the expectations put upon her after winning the Best Newcomer award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe: “Why would they do this to me?”

It only takes five minutes of her stage presence to realise why.

With an hour that loosely focuses on the divorce of her parents, Ashfaq relives childhood trauma, her Indian and Muslim upbringing and being a conduit for her friends during therapy. There are also some of the darkest jokes I’ve heard in years, interwoven throughout, that sneak up on you like a king cobra.

Her crowd work is exceptional – even when canvassing the audience for recollections about the last time they cried.

The final stanza revolving around her teenage diary is perhaps a bit cliche, but still thoroughly enjoyable.

Her Melbourne season has just been extended for a week – and with good reason. Highly recommended.
★★★★
Reviewed by Tyson Wray

David Correos | I Can’t Stop Vibrating
The Greek, until April 21

“If you ever wondered what happened to that weird kid who ate bugs in primary school … here I am,” David Correos announces to his audience. There’s not a person in the room who doubts the veracity of this after a truly unexpected, bizarre and wonderful hour with him on stage.

For those in the audience who had seen him on Taskmaster NZ, he made it clear that had been him on his best behaviour – tonight, he brings out the gross stuff. Even this, however, apparently isn’t his worst behaviour. That’s a story we hear about rather than witness – and I’m not sure if I envy or pity the audiences who got to see it live.

Correos is delivering outrageous filth, verbal and actual, in style. He manages to bring the audience with him the entire way, much to his credit. It’s quite literally awesome. Even if I had to sometimes look away.
★★★★
Reviewed by Lefa Singleton Norton

Nina Oyama | is Coming
Comedy Republic and Melbourne Town Hall – Cloak Room, until 21 Apr

If seeing Nina Oyama in Utopia or Deadloch has brought you to her show, she’s here to remind you that her trademark gear of fisting jokes and reenactments of her attempts to lick her own ‘titties’ bear no resemblance to the characters she’s played.

Expect jokes that lie at the nexus of masturbation and mental illness, star signs and sports culture, high-fantasy and sex. An entertaining diatribe against cyclists is multilayered and utilised to great effect. One of the cleverest punchlines of the set is unsurprisingly a vagina joke (and there are many), but unlike the much-maligned d--k equivalents, Oyama’s delve into the trivialisation of women’s pain and the perils of interfacing with the health system – particularly pharmacists.

Oyama is apologetically lewd, endearing as she laughs at her own jokes, and perennially good-natured – even when not just one, but two of her front-row-seated audience members need to visit the toilet during her set.

Closing off her show with an uproarious analogy likening her brand of bisexuality to pasta strainers, Oyama proves it’s possible to be simultaneously dumb and deep.
★★★★
Reviewed by Sonia Nair

Bridget Hassed | Girl Girl Girl

Tasma Terrace, until April 7

A former RAW Comedy state finalist, Bridget Hassed is surely a lock for a Best Newcomer nomination this festival.

Her debut show – or as she calls it, a 50-minute complaint – while not revolutionary, is deftly handled with a dry and venomous undertone throughout.

Via anecdotes of prospecting audience members on the dating app Hinge, the awkward realisation of being the same age as your mother when she gave birth to you, and her thoughts of possibly being born in the wrong generation, Hassed weaves both a mirthful and viciously cutting web similar to those conjured by Anne Edmonds or Celia Pacquola.

Having picked up a Stand Up! grant, an initiative that aims to fund the next generation of female and non-binary comedians in honour of the late Eurydice Dixon, it’s not hard to envision her name up in lights and in far bigger rooms in years to come.
★★★★
Reviewed by Tyson Wray

Emma Holland | Here Comes Mr Forehead
ACMI – Gandel Lab, until April 21

A dark blue magician’s cape, audiovisual gags, prompts placed on seats that have the entire room up on their feet, and gently solicited audience interaction – Emma Holland’s hour of comedy has it all.

Too weird to be straight stand-up but not quite absurd enough to not be considered stand-up, Holland has carved a niche for herself with Photoshop skills that have the audience in stitches as well as a talent for wordplay and misdirection aided by an unfurling slideshow. You may think you know where she’s going, but Holland is an expert at pulling out the rug from beneath her audiences.

Millennials with leftist politics are her audience and she unabashedly caters to them – cops and real estate agents are the subject of her scornful ire, as are royalists and a certain creepy 2000s singer.

Holland’s comedy is funniest at its darkest and most ridiculous, and cleverest in the unassuming throwaway lines that pepper her set. The audience’s laughter often plays catch-up before they scramble to follow her next artfully constructed punchline.
★★★★
Reviewed by Sonia Nair

Elf Lyons | Raven
The Greek Centre, until April 21

How do you create a monster? Elf Lyons has the answers in Raven, one of the more surprising explorations of trauma I’ve seen on a stage.

Billed as comedy-horror, the Brit takes inspiration from Steven King to frame her story in five “books”.

Lyons is a graduate of Philippe Gaulier’s famous French clown school and uses her training to full effect to embody physically, and vocally, a range of creepy antagonists along the way.

She starts gently and strangely but as we are drawn further into the shadows of her childhood, the pace – and festering anger – escalate things to a jaw-dropping and outrageous crescendo, which is sure to be one of the most memorable moments of the festival.

I won’t spoil it for you but suffice to say, if you’re one of those weirdos – like me – who actually likes sitting in the front row, best not to in this instance.
★★★★
Reviewed by Hannah Francis

Headliners with Joel Kim Booster and Zainab Johnson
Melbourne Town Hall – Supper Room, until April 7

“Happy Easter – we’re all Christian I presume?” says Joel Kim Booster as he opens his set.

The Fire Island actor features in a double-bill American line-up alongside Zainab Johnson (Amazon Prime’s Upload), both tackling everything from Australian wildlife to nuclear weapons.

Booster and Johnson complement each other’s snarky humour well as successive acts. Booster performs first, declaring he hates animals, with koalas being his third-most-hated creature (horses take the top spot).

Johnson plays into American politics, stating “I have a gun – not on me!”

Carefully wielded racial humour created awkward moments for some audience members, in particular during Booster’s loaded question, “Do you think there’s going to be a race war? Who do you think will win?” and when Johnson, as a black woman, did a section on helping police solve her murder through clues in her iPhone notes.

The jokes are deliberately pointed and the audience responses, though unanticipated, help drive the underlying sentiment home and both comedians confidently pivot their content when needed.

Two stellar must-see international acts.
★★★★
Reviewed by Vyshnavee Wijekumar

Ed Byrne | Tragedy Plus Time
The Malthouse, Beckett Theatre, until April 21

In his best show in years, Ed Byrne asks himself the question faced by every comic after a tragedy: how much time needs to pass before it’s okay to play disco at your brother’s funeral?

When the Irish comic lost his younger brother (comedian Paul Byrne) in 2022, he quickly turned to the humour they’d shared in life to cope. Tragedy Plus Time is the result: a poignant and deeply funny hour of carefully crafted standup and heartfelt reflections.

Byrne has been working the comedy circuit here and overseas for more than 30 years but nowhere has his quick-fire wit been tighter, or his mischievous charm and audience repartee better executed. It’s gallows humour packed with enough jokes per minute to completely blur the line between tragic and funny. Laughing through tears, or crying through laughter, you’d be hard-pressed not to be affected by this uproarious, hopeful show.
★★★★
Reviewed by Guy Webster

Geraldine Quinn | The Passion of St Nicholas
Malthouse Theatre, until April 7

Some things just aren’t funny. Geraldine Quinn isn’t covered by this statement. Not only is she exceptionally uproarious, she also exudes big broad energy. But her latest show, an ode to her (mostly) beloved big brother, tackles the day she received the call no one wants halfway through a solo day-drinking session.

Generously ripping off the band-aid of the worst 14 months of her life, Quinn’s gallows-dark show will rattle anyone just about coping with old wounds yet offer them cathartic chuckles, too.

A glowing tribute to family – in love and bitter rivalry – it’s also an origin story for “Nick’s sister,” taking us from competitive theatre sports and jazz standards that stuck out like a sore thumb during high school in the ’90s and onto a hospital bed. An endlessly energetic set stacked with stupendous original songs, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry and wonder why Quinn hasn’t conquered Broadway yet.
★★★★
Reviewed by Stephen A Russell

Tom Gleeson | Gear
Comedy Theatre, until April 21

If revenge is a dish best served cold, the tasty morsels Tom Gleeson has been chilling in the deep freeze for years should safely earn him a Michelin star.

If you ever meet the guy, please do not cross him. You may be roasted at one of the biggest venues at one of the biggest comedy festivals in the world.

The Hard Quiz host’s star power is a clear drawcard, but as with many others who have forged TV careers, an expert comic with years of craft under his belt lies behind.

Gleeson’s command of this large venue is effortless, easily bridging any whiff of a gap between performer and audience. While not a large part of the show, he revels in delivering some “dodgy opinions” that dance around the line of political correctness.

There’s a bonus Q&A on which parts of the show were true and which were lies; here, he’s in his element with fast and mean comebacks.

We also get a glimpse into Gleeson’s craft and how much the mean-guy schtick is embellished for comedic effect.
★★★★
Reviewed by Hannah Francis

Cam Venn | Shark Heist
Motley Bauhaus, until April 10

In a number of ways, this show does what it says on the tin – but this is no ordinary tin. There is a shark (hi Terry) involved in a heist (of the world’s biggest diamond, naturally). There’s escalating nudity, and more audience participation than most performers are prepared to give.

I say give because while the thought of being roped into a show may send some punters running, Venn’s capacity to create an inclusive environment conducive to participatory play is something quite special. There is no fourth wall here, and to build one would destroy the essence of this unique romp. Breaking character, breaking the set or losing one’s wig are all part of the fun.

If it sounds chaotic, it is, but artfully controlled. There’s also an elaborate plot, peppered with tropes pointedly skewered, and a cast of vivid characters delivered with enough nous to ensure that, after all, Venn is the centre of this silly universe.
★★★★
Reviewed by Hannah Francis

John Glover | Microsoft Orifice
The Catfish Bar, until April 6

“That’s my whole life: computers and holes,” says John Glover not long after he begins his set. And he’s selling it right because this is exactly what Microsoft Orifice is all about.

Predictably, it is millennial malaise for a more innocent internet, complete with screenshots – recollections of MSN Messenger, being obsessed with Pokemon to the point of listing all the different creatures in a Word document, down to early Facebook and Instagram use.

But the show is also about Glover’s life as a gay man, as well as his job working in marketing in Sydney alongside gormless colleagues. More screenshots abound. Razor-sharp one-liners are aplenty and timing is spot-on. Glover’s transitions are a delight to follow, as he bounces from gay life to office life to internet life and back again.

But the lines between these different parts of his existence also often blur because such is life now. “I’d kinda like that within myself and my personality, right, that carefreeness,” Glover says towards the end after roasting a hapless colleague.

This is arguably the essence of Microsoft Orifice: the absurd wish for a more decompartmentalised life. This is a budding comic to watch.
★★★★
Reviewed by Cher Tan

Opening Night Comedy All-Stars Supershow
Palais Theatre, March 27

“Most of my job tonight is reading out names,” dead-panned New Zealand comic Guy Montgomery in his debut hosting slot of MICF’s All-Stars Supershow. In three words? He smashed it.

The low-energy, high-impact MC set the table beautifully for 25 comedians to get up, build rapport and extract huge laughs from a packed house ... all in less than five minutes each. Tough gig. Pleasingly, nobody bombed.

Josh Thomas made a strong return after 10 years, getting vulnerable with us as he spoke about having ADHD before it was cool and a newer medical diagnosis that still has cultural cachet. Malaysian doctor-turned-comedian Jason Leong gained the first applause break of the night with deft timing and a killer head tilt then Jenny Tian read the room brilliantly by highlighting the incongruity between her face and her voice, doubling down on the bit like a pro despite it being her first Gala appearance.

Geraldine Hickey, Dave Hughes and Claire Hooper let the audience know they were in good hands with perfectly judged anecdotes about arthritis, a dislocated shoulder and long-term relationships.

The internationals warmed to the task quickly, Chloe Petts (UK) got away with some very risque lines about her sexuality and anybody unlucky enough to get caught in her seductively ambiguous spider web. Lara Ricote (Mexico) gave us an amazing therapist takedown and Welshman-turned-Aussie Lloyd Langford was perhaps best of all with his too-close-to-the-bone gear about waffle cones and sperm donation.

The surprise hit of the night was a local journeyman making his first Gala appearance: Josh Glanc. The hirsute hometown hero went big with props and a seemingly endless build-up and had us heaving at the (deliberately) anticlimactic pay-off.

Montgomery brought it all to a close with some lacerating anti-Melbourne lines that goaded the audience, only to add a smiling caveat “I kid, I kid” to keep us on side. Now it’s over to the 800 or so comedians to kid around on stage for the next three and a half weeks...
★★★★
Reviewed by Mikey Cahill

Tom Ballard | Good Point Well Made
Rydges One, Melbourne Town Hall, until April 21 

Tom Ballard is angry. In general, yes, but he’s specifically angry about the result of the Voice to parliament referendum in October of last year. And so, of course, he’s written a show about it.

Ballard has been kicked off the ABC twice – once for calling a conservative candidate the c-word on his Tonightly show, and once for telling Liberal voters he “hopes you choke on your own franking credits, you evil greedy fascist soulless pig dogs” at the MICF Gala – a gag he regrets so little it is the featured YouTube clip on the website to buy tickets for this year’s show.

The target of his ire is, unsurprisingly, No voters. He’s at pains to point out that not all No voters are racist, “but all racists are No voters, so …”

You know where you stand with Ballard. You’re not going to get much in the way of banal observational comedy, but if you want an hour of blistering attacks on the right wing of Australian politics, his show is the perfect balance of mean and funny.
★★★
Reviewed by Cassidy Knowlton

Julian O’Shea | M is for Melbourne: The World’s Mostly* Liveable City

DoubleTree by Hilton, until April 7

Julian O’Shea will never be able to tour this show.

A love letter to Melbourne, he takes attendees on an alphabetic sojourn through our landmarks and heritage. But it will never translate to a different audience. Perhaps that’s the point.

“M” is for the Montague Street Bridge, “T” for “truckzilla” (a term that he apparently coined via an op-ed), and “Z” for his adoration of SBS stalwart Julia Zemiro. There are expected jokes about the murky colourisation of the Yarra, undercover ticket inspectors and the unfortunate blight on our city that is the Melbourne Star.

The clear deficiencies in the hour are blatant with his lack of stagecraft – a recurring theme in recent years from online content creators who assume a transition to a real-life audience is simple.

But anyone who has the postcode 3000 close to their heart will leave with a lot to take away. Especially if they’re jaywalkers.
★★★
Reviewed by Tyson Wray

Anna Beros | Creampie Clarity
Fossey’s Distillery Lygon, until April 21

Creampie Clarity is one of two shows on offer from former Melbourne (now Berlin-based) comic Anna Beros. Her first show, Creampie Curious, returning for its second year, flies the explicit flag proudly. Creampie Clarity evolves with material about wanting kids, but it hasn’t lowered the explicit flag. This one is sex-positive, drug-positive and life-positive.

It feels risky when she launches into audience interaction after a check-in as to whether we’re all on the same sex-positive, dark-comedy-loving page but the banter is warm and the jokes punch up. Beros is a full-time standup and her hours on stage are evident in her skill at taking the temperature of the audience and bringing them along with her as she veers into darker material.

Dating might have morphed into auditioning potential dads, but the auditions are no less outrageous or entertaining. All to the delight of a willing audience.
★★★
Reviewed by Lefa Singleton Norton

Circus Oz | Smash It!
Arts Centre Melbourne, until April 21

A near-death experience during the pandemic seems to have galvanised Circus Oz. The company has since avoided closure, recharged its communitarian battery, and recommitted to the style of accessible, family-friendly fare that has made it such a cherished stalwart of homegrown circus.

Smash It! has an easygoing irreverence and a familiar rock’n’roll vibe. Indeed, the live music is a highlight, and its rebellious energy charges the performances and lights a spark of activism under the athleticism.

The show takes sly aim at colonial symbols. A statue of Captain Cook lurks in the background. In one routine, the explorer is toppled upside down and hauled away on the shoulders of acrobats; in another, he’s unceremoniously replaced by the statue of a duck.

Pointed critique doesn’t dampen the light-hearted, funfair atmosphere, nor dim a sense of wonder at the acrobatic display. There are plenty of thrills on offer, among them flying trapeze, aerial straps, tightrope-walking (and also loose rope-walking), and group acrobatics from a diverse ensemble.

The floorwork is often illuminated by clowning, and the selection of feats and performers tends to challenge mainstream preconceptions about the body shape, gender, and age of cir