★★★★
In its fourth year running, Kings of Comedy presented a solid hour show that showed off the range of local comedy on offer during the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. The show sets you up on a perfect blind date with each comedian. They never reveal the lineup until you get there and you get personal with them, but unlike a blind date, it can end in less than ten minutes. It was a taster of comedy including comedians like Nick Capper, Michael Shafar, Rowan Thambar, Leigh Qurban and Kirsty Webeck.
The show started an unusual way, with beatbox champion CLR doing an impromptu set on stage while people were arriving. It was a spur of the moment and strange, but a welcomed addition to the comedy show which highlighted the atmosphere of the show very well. The show was an inviting and comfortable environment. MC Simon Hughes prepped the audience with quick wit and charm.
Our first act, Nick Capper provided our daily dose of awkwardness, his delivery was similar to Luke McGregor with a mastery of self-deprecating humour. A unique quality of his jokes is the conversational tone within it. It established an instant rapport with the audience, particularly jokes specific to Australia about the phrases his girlfriend from Queensland uses.
Rowan Thambar’s act was an all-round solid act, particularly discussing his mistaken identity as black in America. There was also a cute and hilarious moment within his act where a bunch of women in the back were cackling hard and he said “I see we have a few witches in the back, like seriously that’s a cackle and a half.”
Michael Shafar made jokes about his testicular cancer and eventual removal of one of his testicles. His set was outrageously raw, funny and left him “feeling like a woman with big boobs, we are maintaining eye contact but you kinda want to look down”.
Kirsty Webeck headlined the show with hilarity and confidence. Her personality is addictive and ended the night with a bang. Her talk on relationships and dating were brazen and typically Australian, saying things like “Sorry men I’m gay. Sorry women, I’m not a man”.
This show brings local comedy to the forefront and guarantees laughs. It is exciting to hear that places like this with such a relaxing, fun environment exist and are available for a night out.
