Hannah Gadsby is Something Special
Hannah Gadsby’s Something Special, now on Netflix, is the feel-good follow-up to their previous stand-up shows Nanette and Douglas.... Read More »
Live Comedy
The Wharf Revue goes online
The annual Wharf Revue is one of many live events which has had to move online in 2020. Now in its 20th year, The Wharf Revue is a Sydney institution in which Jonathan Biggins, Drew Forsythe and Phillip Scott satirise local and international politicians. Originally planned as the final ever Wharf Revue, and titled ‘Good... Read More »
Black comedy matters
We’ve all been horrified by the murder of George Floyd. And not just because of the brutal way in which George Floyd was killed, but for the fact that this keeps happening to black people. In the United States and in our own country. But given this is a blog about comedy – and that... Read More »
Talkin’ ’bout a Revolution
It’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival time, and you know what that means: we continue to ignore stand up comedy just like we always do. But this year’s launch featured Australia’s biggest comedy superstar, Hannah Gadsby – and in good news, it seems that the future of comedy doesn’t necessarily have to involve jokes: “I believe... Read More »
What’s Next For Nanette?
So Nanette‘s a world-wide success, earning rave reviews and gushing think-pieces everywhere you look for weeks online – which is basically decades by old media timescales – while giving Hannah Gadsby the kind of life-altering fame most performers could only dream of. Did anyone really think she was still going to quit? The thing is... Read More »
Cry and the World Cries With You
Nanette, Hannah Gadsby’s farewell to comedy – though not, if you pay close attention, to live performance necessarily – has been going gangbusters the world over since it won the 2017 Barry Award at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. It’s gone on to win Best Comedy at the Adelaide Fringe, the Edinburgh Comedy Award, and... Read More »
Crush the Rebellion
So this just happened: Magazine publisher Bauer Media has had a major win in its appeal over Rebel Wilson’s defamation suit and will now have to pay the actress $600,000. The final figure is significantly less than the $4.5 million the Pitch Perfect star had originally been awarded in damages after she was defamed in... Read More »
Come Sail Away
So last week we saw Yours Sincerely: Bob Franklin at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. We’re not big ones for live comedy, but we are Bob Franklin fans since way back, and word on the street suggested that this character-based comedy performance was one not to be missed for those who know a little about... Read More »
Stand up and tell a story
Stand-up is the main route into comedy these days. Try naming a comedian who’s been well known in the past 10 years who didn’t start their career in stand-up. Kate McLennan and Kate McCartney? The Chaser team? Chris Lilley? Sammy J? Adam Zwar? Troy Kinne? It’s a short list*. And one that means that the dominant... Read More »
It’s a Death Row Pardon Two Minutes Late
Here’s a thought: does it mean anything that the Melbourne International Comedy Festival – supposedly one of the world’s greatest live comedy festivals, at least according to their own publicity – is happening at a point in time when there is literally no long-form Australian comedy being shown on mainstream television? Sure, there are a... Read More »