If you are an avid bookworm who loves to talk about all things literary, comedian George Dimarelos has the perfect show for you.
Held in The Atrium, an intimate room inside the well-hidden Café Outside The Square ‘A Bookish Comedy Show’ is a relaxed book-themed performance which brings together a revolving cast of comedians to chat about all things bookish.Opening night (2 March) got off to a humorous start when presenter George Dimarelos took to the stage with an almost hyperactive energy (which he later blamed on the numerous coffees he had consumed prior to the show). George has a very informal performance style and he loves to interact with the audience – which we soon discovered could be both a blessing and a curse as the man is easily distracted. What began as a short introduction to the show became a winding monologue of rapidly changing topics led – in part – by his interactions with some very cheeky audience members. Throughout the show George called on the audience to answer questions about their favourite books and engaged us in several short yet entertaining book themed games which tested our literary knowledge and powers of deduction.
Aidan ‘Taco’ Jones was the first of the night's two guest comedians, delivering an unusual performance which began with a story inspired by a quote from his favourite book and ended with a series of personal anecdotes which were both humorous and surprisingly heartfelt. Like George, Aidan took a very relaxed approach to his performance, even pausing to heckle the audience members who were brave enough to admit they had never read his favourite book.
The night’s second comedic guest managed to garner laughs before he was even on stage when it was revealed that his former high school English teacher was sitting in the audience. While clearly shaken by the small world irony of this event, Lewis Garnham delivered a hilarious performance which explored the literary genius (and stupidity) of modern day songwriters and his closing story about the politics of university was both incredibly imaginative and flawlessly delivered.
The audience consisted of a mixture of age groups with varying reading preferences and most were open and responsive to the comedians – which provided the men with ample opportunities for new material, unexpected conversations and even a friendly heckle or two. Most of the jokes performed referenced the content, delivery and hidden meanings of books so even if you hadn’t read the particular book being mentioned you were (usually) able to enjoy the resulting banter.
With their friendly personalities, quick wits and energetic performances George, Aidan and Lewis did a great job of engaging the audience, but the night was largely hit and miss.
