The Gala Part One, MICF_REVIEW_ ABC IVIEW, 11 April 2022 ****

COMEDY

Part of Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2022

Filmed at Palais Theatre, St Kilda, 29 March 2022

Gala is screening on ABC IView in 4 parts

Reviewer: Kate Herbert - review of Part 1 of series of 4

Stars: ****

This review published only on this blog. KH

Frank Woodley & Colin Lane in Moby Dick

 

This first episode of The Gala, Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2022, hosted by Steph Tisdell, has a lot of stand-ups – and then there’s Lano And Woodley who wipe the floor with everyone before them.

 

As the last act, Lano and Woodley take the stage and the audience by storm, leaving the rest of the pack far, far behind. Their excerpt from their 2022 work, Moby Dick, shows everyone else how to do comedy that is not stand-up, is not all about Covid, and doesn’t feature ‘Does this happen to you, too?' gags.

 

Like all their previous work together, it is idiosyncratic, clever, beautifully constructed, well-written, character based and hilarious. It makes me mad keen to see the entire show – but I was anyway.

 

This is not to say that there aren’t a number of good or even great stand-ups in the line-up.

 

To give you a taste of the rest of the acts, it starts with host Tisdell who has a go at white people and offers some insights into ways to make ‘Welcome to country’ relevant to Aussies.

 

Nick Cody is one of the most successful of the rest of the programme. He’s charming, relaxed and really funny and he’s now doing ‘being a dad’ humour, which is hilarious, especially the bit about his toddler escaping hotel quarantine.

 

Another success, and one who does no Covid jokes, is Sammy J on piano with a cellist accompanying him. He sings a clever song that starts as a sweet romantic ballad about pink clouds that turns into a sort of murder story, revelling in a death. Dead Guy in the Park. Funny.

 

Nikki Britton is perky, single, late 30s and the Pandemic put a dent in her dating. She does a lot of slagging off men who she thinks are stoopid. I wonder what would happen if male comics did the same sort of female-slagging. Chris Ryan opens with stuff about a silent husband, two teenagers and a houseful of condiments. She has some smart and funny material about tax, rebates and dodgy accountants.  

 

Stephen K Amos, in his natty very and jeans and backwards cap, is always funny and spends his time talking about the Pandemic – surprise! – not getting into Australia during said Pandemic, living with his ‘difficult’ father during Pandemic. He revels in his ‘nice’ area of Wimbledon in London and his visits to supermarkets.

 

Lizzy Hoo is low-key and talks about – guess what! – Covid, this time as a date. She quit her day job to do comedy. Fern Brady is a Scot who describes herself as hot and autistic, and she has some funny material about her response to relationships – both her own and others’.

 

Brett Blake is a bit of a yob with a mullet and a couple of good gags about taunting hipsters with their rescue greyhounds. Alex Ward does a quirky bit about her neighbour thinking she’s her partner’s (very young) mother. Andy Saunders tells of getting very satisfying his revenge on his teenage son for not putting the garbage out. Tommy Little does the obligatory Covid jokes then a set about his game of sexy sentences for supermarkets.

 

But really, go see Lano and Woodley – twice. (Tour dates bellow.)

 

by Kate Herbert 

Lano & Woodley 2022 Australia Tour Dates

31 March-4 April – Comedy Theatre (Melbourne International Comedy Festival)
27-28 May – Newcastle Civic Theatre
8-11 June – Canberra Theatre Centre
7-10 July – Enmore Theatre (Sydney)
14-17 July – The Concourse (Chatswood)
23 July – The Art House, Wyong
28 July – Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre
30 July – Mandurah Performing Arts Centre
2-6 August – Regal Theatre (Perth)
9-21 August – Brisbane Powerhouse
25-27 August – Theatre Royal (Hobart)