Art Smitten

Smithers reviews Comedy Zone Asia , the Melbourne International Comedy Festival show featuring Jinx Yeo, Neeti Palta, Sumit Anand, Rizal van Geyzel and Douglas Lim that runs until April 23. Click here to listen to Smithers' interview with Douglas ! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the Mens Interesting look into the expansive Australian male psyche. The show is a number of monologues dedicated to generations of male Australians. It highlights the weird, quirky and uncomfortable experiences felt in our own backyard. Characters included “shirtfront” the jockey addicted to cheesecake, a ex-greyhound racer, a stockbroker stuck between the bliss of the sea-change a...

Cal Wilson's show in the MICF this year is about 'Things I've Never Said', or, all things she's never focused on in her comedy. For Wilson, this means a focus on politics and feminism. Wilson flourishes on the topic, deploying a white hot commentary on sex, gender and equality. Throughout a series of anecdotal pieces which include her prejudice about playing to a room full of male mine workers; wh...

Colossal is a film about monsters, both literal and metaphorical. Written and directed by Nacho Vigalondo, perhaps most famous for his sci-fi dark comedy Timecrimes , it stars Anne Hathaway as Gloria, a young woman with a lot of problems. In an attempt to recharge, she goes back to her home town, which is small, nondescript and somewhere in the Midwest of America. She reconnects with a childhood f...

Raw has got to be one of the best horror films I’ve seen in recent years. It manages to create discomfort not only out of the deeply horrifying but also out of pretty much everything else. Cannibalism becomes as nasty to watch as skin rashes. The first film by Julia Ducournau, it’s grisly and very dark and shows an impressive flair for visceral tension and thematic construction. I was...

Jim, Gill and Smithers interview vocalist and viola player Biddy Connor from the Letter String Quartet, who have an upcoming concert,  Oracle Marker , on Sunday April 23, 6pm at the Hawthorn Arts Centre on 360 Burwood Road. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Smithers chats to Brenton Amies and Cam Ralph the morning after seeing she saw their Melbourne International Comedy Festival show  Everyday Monsters , playing at Tasma Terrace (6 Parliament Place, East Melbourne) until April 22. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nikki Britton is an excitable, full of energy Australian comedian whose show, Romanticide, reflects on her not so excitable love life. Britton reflects in her show on her romantic conquests, experiences and failures, and how they have shaped her as a person. The show is a one hour energised stand up routine in a small crowded room at The Forum, which boasts quite a hot time, as it’s stuffy i...

I grew up watching older British Comedy, so I’ve always had a love for it. Fawlty Towers was of course one of these loves, as well as Monty Python, The Goodies and Benny Hill. I’m shocked that I never heard about Faulty Towers, The Dining Experience until now, but better late than never, I finally went to go. Straight up, and I didn’t even realise until writing this review, the a...

A stunningly beautiful dive into humanity's dark future with cyborg implants and upgrades, skyscraper high advertisements and incredibly frightening half human half machine - cyber terrorists. Ghost in the Shell is effectively a dark futuristic crime thriller that follows the Character of Major, who is an all robot body with the brain of a human being. She’s an elite counter-terrorist workin...

For those who haven’t seen David O’Doherty’s comedy before, like myself, if you decide to see him in action you’ll be greeted by one of the most refreshing examples of comedy in modern day times. O’Doherty blends his own down to earth comedic vibe with music seemingly created on the spot in front of the audience. He covers both the biggest issues that the world faces...

Aunty Donna’s new show hits the MICF under the title Big Boys, a show about boys, who are now big. The title is more than just a gag or joke to go with the show. The title incidentally refers to the three boys who are Aunty Donna, who have now become big after years of being together as a group; Mark Bonanno, Broden Kelly and Zachary Ruane. The three are perfect for each other, and after yea...

Smithers and Christian chat to artist Cameron Moorhouse, one of the finalists from the 2017 VCE Top Arts exhibition, whose work, Extinction , will be on display at the Ian Potter Centre until July 16. Click here to listen to our interview with Miranda Picton-Warlow, manager of the VCE Season of Excellence and Sia Smyth, the curator of  Top Designs  2017. See omnystudio.com...

Smithers and Christian interview Erin Taylor and Sarah Edwards from Phantasmagoria , a free site-responsive festival produced by the Bogong Centre for Sound Culture, running on weekends until the end of April in the Bogong Alpine Village. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christina, Rachela and Katie chat Ginger and Tonic Founder and Music Director Jane Patterson and ensemble member Laura Burzacott, from the A Capella group Ginger and Tonic, about their Melbourne International Comedy Festival show  Desperate and Dateless , running from 30 March - 9 April at the Coopers Malthouse on 113 Sturt Street, Southbank. Image from James Terry Ph...

Adalya, Daniel and Christian from Queeries chat to Gavin Roach about his Melbourne International Comedy Festival Show,  All The Songs I Can't Sing . Click here to listen to Hamish's review. Photo by Julyan Stephens See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I haven’t been too a lot of shows when the Melbourne International Comedy Festival is on, but this year I’m starting off strong by seeing both big and smaller shows that the festival has to offer. To kick this season off, I checked out the preview show of Gavin Roach’s All The Songs I Can't Sing, a just under 50 minute show that is about just that; all the songs that Gavin Roach...

Smithers chatted with Malaysian comedian Douglas Lim who’ll be performing in Comedy Zone Asia  (which Smithers also reviewed ) at the Melbourne Town Hall, and in his own solo show, This Is Nice , at the Greek Centre at 7pm on April 18 & 19. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christian chatted with the South African comedian about his Melbourne International Comedy Festival show Dude, Where’s My Lion?  on at the Melbourne Town Hall until April 23. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stellar Project is a premier dance work by Prue Lang, it is an hour long contemporary dance piece, with 5 performers. It was presented in several parts, first was a dimly lit gentle dance piece, then the lights came up and the dances congratulated each other saying good job etc etc, like they had just finished a improve or something in a dance class, they then took turns performing solo dances and...

Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting is a one of a kind movie; back when it was released it was different, new and explosive, something not many had ever seen before. The same can be said for the stage adaptation, Trainspotting Live, which is literally in your face the entire way through. It takes immersive to a new level. If you’re a fan of the movie then you might be pretty confused when firs...

Hamish and Christian chat with Gavin Ross from the cast of the truly immersive theatre show  Trainspotting Live , now on at fortyfivedownstairs until April 13. Click here to listen to Hamish's review of the show See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Adalya, Daniel and Jim interview director Miki Oikawa, Tenor Hew Wagner and Dancer/Actor Arisa Yura about Lyric Opera’s Australian premier production of The Japanese Princess. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Deep Sea Dances was a new contemporary dance work by Rebecca Jensen. The performance space is in The Stables are Arts Houses’ Meat Market, we entered into a large space with beautiful projections on the walls, we were asked to remove our shoes and socks and entered into another large space in the building, the floor was covered with squishy plastic and there were chairs and pillows either side of...

Daniel, Adalya and Jim chat to Tara Jade Samaya, the “Dance Captain” of Chunky Move’s ANTI GRAVITY , on at the Malthouse Theatre from March 17-26 as part of the Dance Massive Festival. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.