REVIEW: CATHERINE DEVENY IN CURVY CRUMPET

2013 MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL

REVIEW: CATHERINE DEVENY IN CURVY CRUMPET

VENUE AND DATES: MEETING ROOM, TRADES HALL, UNTIL APRIL 21

ASSESSMENT: Deveny deploys diatribes that are deadly weapons of mass destruction.

STAR RATING: * AND A HALF.

CURVY CRUMPET, CATHERINE DEVENY - SUPPLIED.

Incoming! BOOM! Less than 30 seconds into her performance and potty-mouthed, Curvy Crumpet, Catherine Deveny, has dropped the first of the night’s many C-bombs, F-bombs and other profanity-wielding bombs inside the Melbourne Trades Hall. The first C-bomb explodes on Hinduism. Shortly after, two audience members depart.

But, Deveny, comedy’s equivalent of a ballistic missile, carries multiple warheads that on this night, strike targets including; the Catholic Church, which is a child sex ring, all footballers who are only rapists in shorts, live exports (doesn’t care), her middle child’s strange masturbatory habits, and her permanent Brazilian wax. Too much information, Catherine. Despite such indelicate subjects, Deveny, who confesses to be as mad as Mark Latham, fervently denies ever being deliberately provocative or offensive.

This is let it all hang out, visceral, often cringe-worthy, confrontational comedy. But, judging by the laughs she receives from her audience (many of whom disclose by a show of hands to be her Facebook followers) during the night’s performance, there remains a broad market for racially and religiously offensive, and otherwise pure hate humour delivered without grace, wit, or insight, but at high decibels, and an in your face, unleashed style.

Those who are neither among her many Facebook followers, nor her “hate followers” (those who follow her but still hate her), will need strong constitutions and the patience of Job to sit through this hour-long, profanity-drenched rant.

BY: JOE CALLERI.

NB: REVIEW ALSO PUBLISHED ON HERALD SUN ONLINE, THURSDAY 04 APRIL, 2013.