What do you call a collection of comedians? (Perth International Comedy Festival 2013)

When I first read the Perth International Comedy Festival program I wasn’t sure who I wanted to see, then I got side-tracked by life and didn’t commit to anything. Last night as I settled onto the couch, something was nagging at me from deep inside my brain. It was the memory that I’d set up The Ponder Room to remind people to get out amongst life and make the most of it. So half an hour later I was standing in the Vividwireless Astor Theatre, buying a ticket for the opening night. There were so many great acts featured at the Opening, here are just a few that left me pondering. Hopefully this will make you rethink your couch-life over the next 19 days that the festival is on.

The Pajama Men Perth International Comedy Festival © The Ponder Room

Right from the get-go the crowd was in good voice, which was quickly capitalised on by Diggy Bones, who made MCing look effortless and ensured the comedians faced an enthusiastic crowd.

Craig Hill Perth International
Comedy Festival 2013
© The Ponder Room

Craig Hill (Scotland)

Craig Hill Perth International

Comedy Festival 2013

Scotland’s Craig Hill didn’t arrived on stage, he exploded, skipped, bounced, gyrated and twirled, proving that white men can indeed dance. At least white men of a particular persuasion. The crowd was so into his dancing that he could have left after that, but he continued.

He then walked us through cheeky takes on singers like Cher and Madonna; had a gentleman in the front row very worried, and ended with a brilliant explanation of the Australian accent.

His rapid fire approach makes it hard to remember specific pieces as he seemed to cram twenty minutes into ten. I’ve missed his shows in the past, and definitely have him on my list to check out.

Gina Yashere
Perth International
Comedy Festival 2013
© The Ponder Room

Gina Yashere (UK)
Gina Yashere took us back to the Olympic Games, and had us pondering what it takes to come last, especially if you hail from a tiny unknown country. What does it take to be selected in the African swimming team?

Her musings on Australian racism were both enlightening and hilarious, with several people around me nodding their heads in agreement e.g. her time spent in Sydney’s Chinese Gardens where she was given a traditional costume to wear … a Japanese Kimono.

The Pajama Men (USA) photo above
I missed seeing these guys last time they were in town so was pleased to get to see what all the fuss was about. Grown men dressed in … pyjamas … they took us through a series of ‘what am I doing’ mimes, that started out fine but soon had us witnessing the disintegration of their relationship. They too covered so many areas it’s difficult to remember, as one funny skit was replaced by another.

Tommy Dean Perth International
Comedy Festival 2013 © The Ponder Room

Tommy Dean (USA)
Tommy Dean came out wearing ‘a shirt borrowed from the Pajama Men’’. He took us inside modern day parental discipline and life with identical twins. Tommy explained that discipline is hard for comedians, as often things are both ‘wrong’ and ‘hilarious’ e.g. not stopping a fight between the twins because it can leave a bruise, which aids in identification.

Next up was Paul Foot …

Paul Foot (UK)
Then came Paul Foot and as he admits himself, his routine ‘can divide the audience’. Not so last night as most of the audience was along for the ride. A ride which took us through his recent and ‘incredibly’, ‘extraordinary’ experience on the way to the Astor Theatre of seeing a … van. For the rest of the piece he pondered the extraordinariness of this and what could be done if you wanted to avoid seeing a van in the future. I wont give away the solution, except to say Raybans might be interested in his ponderings … or not.

Paul Foot Perth International
Comedy Festival 2013
© The Ponder Room

Eddie Ifft (USA)
The night ended with Eddie Ifft who explained why he likes Australia over his homeland of the USA and the problems of having a real surname like Ifft.

Daniel Sloss from Scotland , Xavier Susai, Justin Hamilton, Jeff Hewitt and John Roberston also had me laughing out loud, while Suns of Fred proved that there’s always place for a good trio in a comedy festival .. and air guitar.

Aside from sore cheeks (facial just incase you need clarification), I left pondering a number of tips:

From Gina – You too can be in the Olympics, just move to a tiny island where swimming means not drowning.
From Tommy – sometimes childhood bruises can be a good thing.
From watching Craig – if you’re going to twirl madly in a kilt, make sure you employ a strategically placed hand on the back of your leather kilt.
From Paul – expect the unexpected … always.

Like all festivals it’s such a shame that everything is on at the same time, there’s so much I’d love to see.

So what do you call a collection of comedians …?

As I left the building I pondered that I’d just seen a Tappas of Comedians, perfect bite sizes pieces that left me in no doubt about what I wanted more of.

The next tappas is the Festival Finale on May 19th at Vividwireless Astor Theatre, which unfortunately I can’t get to.

For more information go to

http://www.perthcomedyfest.com.au/

So what would you call a collection of comedians, any ideas?