30/3/2002 Paul McDermott - Comedyoscopy I decided to go to this show as it was something different from ordinary stand up. The poster says 'Warning: may not contain comedy', but in the first 5 minutes there was more comedy than some shows have in their entirety. It is meant to be a 'lecture' by Paul about comedy to help the audience understand other shows in the festival, but it was frequently sidetracked. Paul kept going off and starting again also. I wasn't feeling brave enough to sit in the front row - Paul's exact words: "Why don't you come sit up the fucking front!" This was just as well as Paul climbed all over the seats throughout the show. Of course people had to be smart arses and provoke him which made the show a lot more enjoyable. He even set the challenge of the best heckle getting the value of their ticket back. It would probably be worth seeing this show more than once just to see if he actually gets to present more of the actual subject, rather than abusing the audience for the entire show. ---- The good thing about the Melbourne comedy festival is that some of the people doing shows have a drink in the nearby bars before and after their shows. I was only there for a short time, but I saw Sarah Kendall having a quiet drink, Rod Quontock engaged in a serious political discussion, Hung Lee just about to start some serious drinking and Paul McDermott with about 5 women hanging off him - it was sickening. ---- Drew Rokos - Is getting away with it I was planning to go home after seeing Paul McDermott's show, but I was handed a card advertising this show by Drew outside the Town Hall so I decided to check it out. Drew talks about his childhood, school, work and how to get away with all sorts of things in daily life. There is a DANCING BEARS reference also. The real kicker (and actually pretty useful advice if you're planning to be a bastard), is saved right until the end of the show (I won't tell you what it is), but it is sure to make the show get quite a reputation. Thanks.Back
Created on ... December 30, 2006