I was again privileged to be part of a very appreciative audience for the fabulous Stephen K Amos at one of my favourite venues The Athenaeum Theatre in Melbourne. Stephen is back in Melbourne, of course, as part of this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2019 or MICF 2019 which I prefer to scribe.
Stephen K Amos MICF 2019 Athenaeum Theatre
Let’s face it, this man has charisma and stage presence that the Queen would envy.
From what I heard, he travels the world, communicating with audiences from many, many countries and cultures. I suppose the Queen does too…Yet, this man is truly funny. Just thinking about him on stage makes me laugh as I am writing this, this review.
Clearly, he has well oiled jokes up his sleeves for comfort, but the man comes across mostly as spontaneous.
Stephen K Amos MICF 2019 Athenaeum Theatre
Engaging with the energy of the audience, particularly probing a few special targets in the first rows. Nothing better in this world than natural quick wit and spontaneity. Except perhaps, very large sums of money to compensate for the lack there of.
Stephen is an artist, a true artist who shares his life’s stories on stage with us. Transforming soul wrenching experiences into bare able positives through humour and generosity. I was so chuffed to get a selfie with the man himself, in the alley, on the way out of the theatre, where he and this friends collected donations for palliative care organisations, inspired by his own family experiences.
It was a true pleasure to experience this man doing his thing. I predict a Knighthood in the not to distant future. But then I do carry on like an over intuitive oracle at times.
It makes all this hard work of creating a MICF 2019 Open Media Review Feature all the more worthwhile. And a special thanks to generosity of Alexis Lalios from Hatching Communications and artist manager Mary Tobin
Before yet another sell-out crowd, Akmal Saleh delivers quality entertainment with his own unique brand of ridicule, imitation and criticism.
Akmal Saleh performed at The Palms at Crown, during MICF 2019
With sarcastic wit wrapped in an annoying mock-bogan twang, Akmal’s show for this year’s festival revolves around identity and the irony of belonging, pointing out with humour and mockery the tribalism which plagues us all.
From petrol heads and politicians to surfer dudes, paranoid conspiracy theorists to violent alcoholic miners itching for vegan blood, Saleh spares none the whip.
His subtly extreme style attempts to reveal to the audience that the choices we make become the characters we are, and that clan mentality has become ridiculous in its quirky, cliquey divisiveness.
We all enjoy a good laugh at the stupid, crazy stuff people do, and Akmal shows he is just as stupid and judgemental as the best of them, with self-deprecating tales of bad judgement and missed opportunities.
With a career spanning decades, Akmal Saleh knows his audience and he can work the crowd. His excessive, zany bogan-bashing style has kept him off the dole since at least 2002.
His style has strength in considered, well rehearsed observational humour, tall tales, and practiced interactions with the front rows, but, as with his years on radio, improvisation can leave him grasping at straws.
Whether you are a fan or a critic, Akmal Saleh will not just make you laugh, he will give you pause to consider the role you’ve chosen to play, and maybe, just maybe, you’ll finally understand that you are a minority of one. Just like the rest of us.
Alan McElroy was an exuberant host and first act, tempting audience members to the front row by way of Skittles.
He was charming and energetic but it seemed as though there was more audience interaction than material.
The second act, Ian Coppinger had some great gags and played heavily on his physical appearance. He had some very well crafted jokes and he engaged the audience well with his storytelling skills. Both comics were easy to watch and the sing-song quality of the Irish accent certainly helped too.
The microphone was tinny throughout the performance and the turn around before the next show had the audience feeling rushed out of the room. It would have been great to see more Irish comics in a Full Irish performance but overall it was a fun, high energy show.
Crowded Together Productions proudly presents this hilarious, offbeat, absurdist comedy inspired play by Marius von Mayenburg’s ‘The Ugly One’. for MICF 2019.
Alex Theatre, St Kilda Doors Open: 7.30pm Act One: 8.00pm Approx. Finish Time: 9.10pm
Tickets: Adults $36.85, Concession $34.40. Artist Passes welcome
In a world where botox, implants and Instagram filters reign supreme, Leigh, finds out she’s a … not-so-aesthetically pleasing woman. In other words, she was hit with the ugly stick. several times. But Leigh is determined to get ahead no matter what the cost.
Shamita Siva (Co-director/Producer/Writer). Shamita is a multifaceted performance artist and creative. Comfortable on stage or on screen, Shamita is a performer who enjoys a challenge. A trained dancer from an early age, she has performed professionally overseas as well as nationally. She developed an interest in physical theatre forms and has trained in Butoh alongside her acting. She holds a BA Performing Arts from Monash University, supplemented by training with Film & Television Studios International, Stella Adler AoA Los Angeles, and the Meisner Technique. Shamita is also a keen writer and often incorporates spoken word into her pieces and performances. She draws inspiration from everyday experiences, music and sound, and socio- political issues she is impassioned by.
Charlotte Rose Watson (Co-director/Producer/Writer): Charlotte caught the acting bug in high school and continued with private acting lessons before completing a Bachelor of Performance at University of Wollongong. After moving from Sydney, her first Melbourne theatre debut was performing in the 2016 Melbourne Fringe Festival in the production ‘Altar Girl’. This is where Sham and Charlotte met. Charlotte has recently undertaken the Producer Bootcamp mentored by Laura Milke Garner to expand her theatre-making and theatre producing skill set. She has a passion for producing and writing plays – especially comedy! She previously worked as a talent agent representing Melbourne actors and coaching acting classes. She now proudly works at the Alex Theatre where she is their theatre programmer and the executive assistant to the general manager.
Cast:
Andrew Burns, a whiz bang trivia host and actor who plays the famous surgeon Dr. David Wazinski.
Maia Absburg an incredibly powerful actor and physical theatre performer, plays on our heart strings as Leigh.
Ben Lindsay, a tradie by day, dynamite actor by night, Ben plays the well-meaning yet oblivious Hank- Leighs husband.
Nicolette Nespeca; who’s comic timing is brilliant in the roles Leigh’s boss Lucille and #Insta-Famous Yogini.
Open Media is proud to be supporting and filming this very important event. Stay posted for filmed footage and story to come from the night.
St Kilda Town Hall – Wed 3rd April, 7 to 9pm- Free Event – All welcome
This Wednesday evening, from 7pm – 9pm, the candidates for the three major parties will participate in this live, public forum on climate change and energy.
The forum is of interest because:
– You can hear directly from each candidate as they discuss their views on the most critical issue of the day; climate change
– The larger the crowd the more the candidates will see that climate change is a very weighty issue for voters
– It’s your opportunity to ask any candidate your question about their climate change and energy policies
– Climate change policy has a direct impact on the health of our waterways, beaches and the bay.
Three subject matter experts will also speak and provide their views on what needs to be done about climate change and energy. This should give the candidates plenty to discuss on the night! The speakers are; Fiona Armstrong from the Climate and Health Alliance, Simon Holmes a Court from Energy Transition Hub and Eloisa Moses-McMahon from Albert Park College (student).
The night was full of positive energy that vibrated through the whole place, setting the scene for an unforgettable experience for the many people that attended. Apart from being well catered for by local suppliers, the forum was introduced and closed with a superb didgeridoo performance by Stan Yarramunua.
Stan Yarramunua at CoWork Me
Christopher Mulcahy from Enabir moderated this free event, a resident of CoWork Me.
Three artists and entrepreneurs; actress Tottie Goldsmith, artist and author Stan Yarramunua (Yarra) and tech entrepreneur Blake McIntyre were special guests who shared their stories and insights of their achievements.
CoWork Me image by Simon Barnett Open Media
Chris believes that the journey of an artist and an entrepreneur has many things in common and one of them is the fact that it’s often a very lonely road. Coming together and supporting each other at an event such as this is incredibly invaluable.
Chris said, “Courage is something that is the first step in being your own person and to do what everyone here tonight does. Being an artists and entrepreneur and to be true to that courage and remain committed to that courage is sometimes a difficult thing. I would just implore everyone that if they ever felt that courage was weakening reach out to someone here tonight or someone who is like minded, because they all deserve it in droves because what they are doing is amazing.”
Totti Goldsmith
Tottie Goldsmith’s father was a nightclub entrepreneur and had several wives so she came from a large family and they lived in a big house.
In her words, wives coming and going, children being born, shit going down, new clubs opening … it was nuts, it was beautiful, it was breaking bread and drinking wine and sharing stories and life.
“I’ve had so many knockbacks I can’t tell you, and it’s ok because not everything is meant to be. Just keep your clarity in what you want but with flexibility,” said Tottie.
“I think with flexibility you can move and grow as you’re going along. Keep witnessing what’s going on around you and where your strengths are, because I think as we grow, we are still exploring ourselves.”
Stan Yarramunua came from the streets of St Kilda, his father was a Frenchman and worked with the Brother Circus as a lion tamer and temporary boxer and his mother was aboriginal.
Growing up he mixed with a lot of men and women who didn’t have a lot. He didn’t want to go hungry, so when an opportunity came up as a kid, whether it was real or not, Stan went and got what he needed to eat. One day he picked up a paintbrush and never looked back.
“Yes it was a struggle, but I don’t look at it as a struggle. I look at it about growing … there’s no pain, there’s no gain and that’s what life is about, there’s a bit of pain in it, but that’s what it is. That means your living, and it’s the spirit of my ancestors that I believe are up there and they choose certain people to be role models, to be out there as examples on the good part of our culture,” said Stan.
Blake McIntyre
Blake McIntyre is a videographer and was filming a social entrepreneurship competition when he ended up at the Branson Centre in South Africa filming a journey of the winner of the competition that happened to be Christopher Mulcahy. While on the job, Blake learnt a lot about being an entrepreneur and has since embraced what he has learnt in his new business. His business is now worth around the eight-figure mark. He developed Pospay a system for restaurants and also used by casinos.
“If you don’t try it, you’ll always regret not having a go, take into account whether it’s viable, and if there is even the slightest chance that you could actually pull it off, go for it,” said Blake. “It’s a roller coaster, every business is. You have really good highs … and then there will be crashes … after a while you just learn to level out and stay in a plateau … don’t get too emotional.”
The evening was a networking success, invaluable conversations were had and the final after party at the Espy was a delight, enjoyed by everyone who attended and can be summarised by the following comments.
Michelle Cain said, “It was amazing, all the speakers were very individual … very inspiring.”
Isobell Vescovi from Just Graze Melbourne said, “Yeah, I’d definitely come again, it was a great night. I’m just sort of starting out and it was really inspiring to hear the speakers … and what inspires them to keep going when things get tough.”
“It was really good to see this at a local level … and all these people in the room together so it was great to hear their [celebrity guests] experience,” said Ciara Walsh.
Tottie summarized by saying, “Have an idea but be processed driven and keep [the thing], trust your gut.” “Some people don’t like you, that’s ok, it’s not an ego game, and not everyone is going to love us. We’re not here to be loved by everybody, we’re here to live our truth.
“As Ford said, if you think you can or you think you can’t, you right. Trust your gut! We are all dreamers and don’t let anyone take that away from you.”
Tommy Little Comedian & MC at the MICF 2019 launch
The team at Open Media is thrilled to be able to produce some unique highlights of the iconic Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2019 highlights. We will be reviewing a broad mix of homegrown and international talent for your viewing pleasure. So stay tuned…
It could only be from the Midas touch group at the Alex Theatre to ensure that this FANF……TASTIC musical parody of the very series ’50 Shades of Grey’ books and films hit St Kilda.
Anyone that has seen the films with the very sexy Jamie Dorman, who even made a psycho sexual serial killer in “The Fall” look hot, will get a spark of interest. There were a lot of women in the audience I noted. However, this story onstage emanates from the books and your imaginations. Probably more sensuous anyway.
Oh course, it was a hit all over America and now some very switched on Producers in David Venn Enterprises have brought it to our shores. My guess it will go on the road for quite a while once word gets out.
This extremely funny, well produced show consisting of nine TOP NOTCH actors, singers and dancers is a MUST to kick start your Comedy Festival dates.
It was such a positive ‘shot in the arm’ to coin a well known phrase, I not only slept like I had my fill but I woke up frisky as well and raring to go.
Oh, if you are wondering where to go the Alex Theatre begins the Paris end of Fitzroy Street.
Now that I have recovered from that very powerful and punchy night at the ALL STARS I can give a brief rundown.
For a start, it was a KNOCKOUT!
All glam and giltz with 27 of the worlds top comedians giving their best in 5 minute stand ups. Except for one or two glitches with sound. Or perhaps I am a little deaf these days. Not sure, that pic was taken from my seat. Regardless, you will get the Full Monty broadcast quality no doubt. It is a tremendous night and a treat to be welcomed to this ever growing and progressive thinking movement through comedy. Great to finally see the girls. Yes the GAY GIRLS on top.
This year I got my (you know what together) and managed to successfully communication with the fine folk in the publicity department of this years MICF 2019. Needless to say Open Media has been warmly welcomed into the fold.
Special thanks to relatively new kid on the block Jodi Crocker Social Set Media, Public Relations, Marketing and Social Media, 5/34 Grey Street, St Kilda 318,+61 403 026 000 ,jodi@socialsetmedia.com.au
Big Wigs at the Spiegeltent, MICF 2019 launch
The launch at The Famous Spiegeltent Art Centre was quite a treat, with all the big wigs graciously giving their utmost support. I suppose that has mostly always been the case, however this is the first time I witnesses it.
Hannah Gadsby at Spiegeltent, MICF 2019 launch
Poster girl HannahGadsby performing at Hamer Hall, a talented comedian that has worked her bootie off for years on the circuits was honour if not gobsmacked to be given this prestigious elevation. Well done I say.
‘These intricately crafted, flawlessly performed numbers will have you howling with laughter one minute, wiping away a tear the next. ★★★★’ The Telegraph (UK)
Captain Cauliflower & Marvin the Mischievous Mouse at the Spiegeltent, MICF 2019 launch
Side-splitting, stiff-upper-lipped hilarity from critically-acclaimed UK comedy duo Dan Lees and Neil Frost. This is classic British absurdity at its best. Dressed in bowler hats and mismatching suits, these charming and eccentric English gents will bring the belly laughs with their trademark mix of physical comedy and quick-fired wit. The Establishment’s unique and infectiously funny style will plunge you into a world of the absurd and leave your ribs well and truly tickled. Malthouse Theatre
SASS ATTACK , …dark, it’s sassy and it’s really funny. Who are we gonna sass? Our ex-boyfriends? The elderly in the supermarket? People that wear woollen headbands? Nothing is off limits!
Tommy Little Comedian & MC at the MICF 2019 launch
Alan McElroy was an exuberant host and first act, tempting audience members to the front row by way of Skittles.
It could only be from the Midas touch group at the Alex Theatre to ensure that this FANF……TASTIC musical parody of the very series ’50 Shades of Grey’ books and films hit St Kilda.
Oh course, it was a hit all over America and now some very switched on Producers in
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