There is an air of anticipation at the Brisbane City Hall (25 August) as punters slowly pile in, excited for the first live podcast of Comedy Bang! Bang! on Australian soil.
The night kicked off with a short set of stand-up from Mike Hanford. One of the more memorable premises involved reading out some great endings to books he had written (in the hopes that the audience may write the rest of them some day). Hanford has the ease and comfort of a seasoned professional with a whimsical style that's slightly reminiscent of Steve Martin.
As Hanford left the stage, the podcast was promptly started with host Scott Aukerman coming out to a warm welcome from the Brisbane crowd. After regaling some thoughts about his brief time in Australia and speaking to the crowd, he brings out his guests one after each other.
These include his nephew Todd played by Lauren Lapkus, a passionate baker of cakes aptly named Cake Boss (Cake Boss!) played by Paul F Tompkins and the relationship expert named Little Bump The One Pump Chump played by Mike Hanford.
The show is unsurprisingly chaotic, with everyone on stage constantly riffing and improvising, leading down ridiculous and hilarious paths. Whether it's Aukerman's questionable relationship with his nephew Todd, including some bizarre pillow-based rituals, Cake Boss's brief interaction with party boy Corey Worthington or the intimate details of Little Bump's genitalia, Comedy Bang! Bang! presents anything but a typical talk show.
As to be expected with the largely improvised format, some sections move more smoothly than others, however the laughs are consistently spread throughout the night. Overall a bizarre, irreverent and enjoyable evening.
Comedy Bang! Bang! will be recording podcasts at the Athanaeum Theatre, Melbourne (26 Aug), Metro Theatre, Sydney (28 Aug) and Astor Theatre, Perth (29 Aug).
