MICF 2015: Reviews #8 – by Julian Callinan

The Little Dum Dum Club, Live!

Karl Chandler and Tommy Dassalo have been podcasting for years, and it is evident in their ease during shows like this. Later put up as podcasts, so you will be able to hear what I saw, the show featured the big Daves -O’Neil, Thornton and Hughes – as well as Nick Cody, and I’d recommend at least giving it a listen because it was a cracker. It especially livened up when Chandler started talking about his show this year and gave the others onstage a chance to tee off on him, because that kind of riffing on each other is a hallmark of the podcast, and of Chandler in particular, and it’s usually a delight when the tables are turned. As a fan of the podcast, it was good to see it live, as the personal presence does add something to the experience, and it certainly did not disappoint. And that’s all before they started doing impersonations of each other.

Not for anyone who can’t see red or those who can’t distinguish between banter and bullying.

The Little Dum Dum Club Live is on at The Joint Sundays from March 29th to April 19th at 3pm, and can be heard at http://littledumdumclub.com/ .

Show runs for 60 minutes.

Celia Pacquola, Let Me Know How It All Works Out

I didn’t need to see Celia’s show this year; I’ve seen it before, more than once. But she was doing it again and I remembered it as a dizzyingly good time, a great story told well and hilariously, and it still is. She’s a particular favourite of mine, and this show is as well-constructed and funny as she’s ever been. The show explores superstitions and magical thinking and what happens when we start to dig in to why we think and feel how we do – or it’s just a weird thing that happened to her and how she dealt with it. Whichever way you take it, it’s a great show it would have been foolish to have missed out on twice, and for me the shock of the new was replaced with the enjoyment of the familiar rhythms of a greatly enjoyed hour.

Not for hardcore zealots or people who find inanimate objects talking too silly for words.

Celia Pacquola is on from March the 28th to April the 18th at the Victoria Hotel, Saturdays at 5.30 pm and Sundays at 4.30 pm.
Show runs for 60 minutes.

Fiona O’Loughlin, The One Where She Left Her Husband and Moved to Melbourne!

Fiona O’Loughlin’s new show was gentler than I expected, with more straight-up storytelling and fewer punchlines, though those punchlines are strong. The show is less about the titular experience, though that is included, than it is about a whole grab bag of events in O’Loughlin’s life, scattered from childhood to today and focussing on her time in Alice Springs in particular. Though her humour is as sharp and scabrous as usual, the vibe suits the earlier time of the show, being more confessional than comedy than has been the case previouisly. She’s still a delight and it’s great to see her, but the show itself didn’t stick as much as I expected.

Not for those who expect a certain level of decorum from ‘women of a certain age’, or anyone used to live-tweeting.

Fiona O’Loughlin is on at the Arts Centre from the 31st of March to the 19th of April, Tuesdays to Saturdays at 7.15 pm and Sundays at 6.15 pm.
Show runs for 60 minutes.