Making its way through the nation, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow brings together a great selection of talented newcomers and international performers from the festival, tickling ribs one city at a time.
At this weekend’s Roadshow (16-17 June), Brisbane got spoiled with a stellar line-up, ensuring that both sold-out shows were left completely charmed by the way each individual came together to give a seamless and ultra-hilarious evening!
While each of the individuals were completely different (“like SBS Live” - Nath Valvo), the combination of the five was just the perfect comedic package. From the stellar MC, Aboriginal comedian Kevin Kropinyeri, to tour highlight, Takashi Wakasugi all the way from Japan, the night flowed flawlessly. It was clear that each of the performers not only were remarkable at what they do, they also evidently adored, respected, and collaborated with everyone they shared the stage with spectacularly. Jokes were shared and repeated with their own renditions as each performer took the mic, making it feel less like five different sets, and more like one seamless comedic show.
Between laughs, the night was full of educational content, with Geraldine Hickey bringing her new-found knowledge of gardening and birds to the stage, Queensland’s very own Bronwyn Kuss’ insight into Tina Arena’s real name and toxic shock syndrome, and Kropinyeri explaining what it was like to grow up in and be a part of the Ngarrindjeri Nation of the lower River Murray, Lakes and Coorong region in South Australia. Of course, the night also featured plenty of observations of Australians from Wakasugi’s Japanese perspective and our avid use of ‘unnecessary plan b’, as well as an insight into Nath Valvo’s experience merging groups at his wedding earlier this year and what it’s like marrying into a ‘nice’ family.
The absolute highlight from the night was Kropinyeri and his ability to work the room between sets with his high-energy performances that warmly invited both the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal audience to share his journey, his culture, his life. His quick wit and engaging demeanor broke the ice in the room, and guided the audience between comedians in a way only Kropinyeri can. Taking us on a journey from his childhood and stories of his mum, to telling us about his kids and how he met his ex, the audience hung off every word and was in fits of laughter time and time again.
From roadshow veterans like Hickey, to fresh comedy festival additions like Wakasugi, the night had more twists and turns than we expected, but we were laughing from the moment the lights went down, to well into the drive home. It’s been a long time since a group of comedians came together so effortlessly on a stage at the Powerhouse, making it a welcomed roadshow, and a night we’ll be talking about for a while yet.
