culture
comedy
comedy April 10, 2021
Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2021
Although the spectre of Covid-19 hangs over this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival, it demonstrates the resilience of live Australian performance.
comedy April 3, 2021
With a Netflix show and a headline at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, the surreal troupe Aunty Donna has come a long way from their Ballarat days.
comedy October 24, 2020
Comedian and actor Rose Matafeo
On the verge of international stardom, Rose Matafeo combines supremely confident ambition with deep personal doubt. “Seeing yourself on screen is the fucking worst thing ever. Your perception of yourself is the best version of yourself that you perform in the mirror, and that is not what other people see.”
comedy March 28, 2020
MICF director Susan Provan on shutting down the show
Susan Provan has been director of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival for 27 years, taking it from strength to strength. So, the decision to cancel this year’s event – for the first time in its history – was no laughing matter. “We were in a position where we had to move quickly. We were literally building venues. We needed to minimise the fallout.”
television February 15, 2020
After charming both critics and viewers with Please Like Me, Josh Thomas made the move to Los Angeles. He speaks about the series he made in his new city, Everything’s Gonna Be Okay – a show that breaks ground in its portrayal of young autistic women. “I think having teenage girls in a show forces you into sweeter territory. The conceit of the show is so sweet, so I guess the story and the characters and the situation kinda made that decision for me.”
comedy October 26, 2019
Irish comedian and actor Dylan Moran
Almost two decades after the wild success of Black Books, Dylan Moran returns to Australia with a new stand-up show, Dr Cosmos. He talks about finding his place in the world and what a Charlie Chaplin film has to say about modern life. “What was extraordinary to me throughout Modern Times was how inclusive it was. Chaplin was laughing in the most general sense at the way we’re living, what we’re doing to ourselves, how we’re fucking up our priorities, you know? We need a film just like that about now. I think how we live is pretty screwy right now.”
comedy February 16, 2019
A drive to a show, and back, with stand-up comic Mimi Shaheen.
television October 27, 2018
Known for her masterful Saturday Night Live impersonations and starring role in the comedy hit film Bridesmaids, Maya Rudolph is now tackling the subject of married mundanity in the new series Forever. But while her own life is far from dull, her priorities for work and family remain very simple. “For me, when I became a mum, I changed, and my needs changed. I didn’t want to be away from my kids … If something I’m loathing is taking me away from my kids, then I shouldn’t be there.”
comedy August 25, 2018
The many sides of Eddie Izzard
Eddie Izzard burst onto the comedy scene in make-up and heels, later proving his chops as a dramatic actor. On the eve of the release of The Flip Side, set in South Australia, he talks about taking risks, being gender queer and his newest passion – running for British parliament. “I want people, moderate people like me, to get politicised, because it’s going to get rough and we’d better work out how we’re going to make it work. It’s up to us.”
comedy July 28, 2018
Hannah Gadsby’s show Nanette has been met with rave reviews. But can it deliver on what others promise for it?
comedy March 7, 2015
Jane Turner helps lift MTC’s Jumpy off the ground
Led by Jane Turner, the women in Jumpy make a mockery of those who turn their noses up at simply being entertained.
