REVIEW: SQUEAKY CLEAN COMEDY

2013 MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL

REVIEW: SQUEAKY CLEAN COMEDY

VENUE AND DATES: MELBOURNE CITY CONFERENCE CENTRE, 333 SWANSTON STREET, UNTIL APRIL 20

ASSESSMENT: Comedy so clean, your 10 year old and grand-mother will love it.

STAR RATING: ** AND A HALF.

A Comedy Festival Show sans smut? Welcome to Squeaky Clean Comedy. And, its comedy content is so clean, so devoid of smut and profanity that, it attracts a demographic from 10 to 100.

And, since the evening doubles as a fund-raiser for Christian relief organisation, World Vision, I was delighted that, the audience on the night I attended was friendly, sober, polite and well-behaved. Most even wore the hair nets (get it?) that were provided. And, generous! One audience member donated $175 to World Vision for five blocks of chocolate. Bravo!  

Geed up Emcee, Mike Klimczak, does a great job keeping the audience entertained while introducing the seven comedians who take the stage during what often turns out to be a long, often patience-draining, two hours.

The main problem with this “gala” event is that, unless the comedians’ skills are top notch, even a 10-minute routine can seem never-ending.

The best known of the night’s performers, Dave O’Neill, uses material gathered from safe, uncontroversial ground – his three young kids, weight issues, and politics. Tick.

But, from O’Neill onwards, the quality of the comedians was patchy. Notable exceptions were assured, harmonica-playing, Michael Connell (who plays a mean middle class blues), and Leongatha-born, Beau Stegmann, (my pick of the night’s comedians) for expounding his theories on basic time management skills for drunks and substance abusers who live in towns that don’t have 24 hour bottle shops.

Squeaky Clean Comedy should be applauded for their no smut policy and altruism.

BY: JOE CALLERI.

NB: REVIEW ALSO PUBLISHED ON HERALD SUN ONLINE, SUNDAY 31 MARCH, 2013.