Comedy
Comedy clubs, comedians and comedy festivals in Melbourne
Hannah Gadsby: Douglas
Hannah Gadsby's Nanette follow-up is returning for a special encore.
Fred Armisen
Long before Fred Armisen forged a career as one of Hollywood's most distinctively talented deadpan comic actors and writers, he was a gigging musician, drumming for Chicago punk act Trenchmouth and even occasionally for the Blue Man Group. Now we know him for his appearances on Saturday Night Live, Portlandia and 30 Rock, as well as his memorable spots in Anchorman and Zoolander 2. Last year he combined his passions in his Netflix special, Stand-up for Drummers, which saw him perform music-adjacent comedy for an audience full of drummers. The show he's bringing to Australia builds on the special, but the title makes it clear that you don't need any musical talent to get into it: Comedy For Musicians but Everyone is Welcome. Expect Armisen to pull out some character bits, rhythmic comedy and pithy observations on the lives and works of musos as he leads his audience through an eclectically funny show.
Celeste Barber
Central Coast comedian Celeste Barber is known for her self-deprecating, and rib-snortingly funny Instagram influencer parodies. She’s parodied real life celebs like Kim K, Gwenyth Paltrow and J-Lo by posing in almost exactly the same positions as they do in these highly styled pics, but using everyday items as props. Celeste’s head squeezed into a polka dot stocking to mimic Elizabeth Moss is one of our faves. Either that or falling into the pool as Beyoncé. It’s a tough call. But it’s hard to tell the anti-influencer from the bone fide #instaceleb and #busymum. Barber’s rise to ‘funniest woman on Instagram’ (as crowned by Vogue in 2018) means she’s now posting LOLs to 5.8 million followers each day. And those parodied celebs call her a friend – including model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and fashion designer Tom Ford. If you’ve missed her #challengeaccepted videos on YouTube, which is where Barber really shines, check out the ‘What’s in my bag?’ Victoria Beckham takedown in which we see a realist Aussie mum rifle through tampons compared to Posh Spice’s crystal collection. It’s the Challenge Accepted series that Barber has morphed into a stand-up comedy show, which she’s touring around the world – and now bringing home to Melbourne in September. Get your low-budget outfits ready for the Hamer Hall show – bring your #hothusband (or not) – and film your own 73 Questions, Vogue style, on route to the gig. Tickets go on sale at noon, July 5.
This week in Melbourne comedy
Arj Barker's Safe Space
The American comedian is trying out new material for intimate crowds in Melbourne
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Time Out Food Awards
Forks at the ready, Melbourne: the Time Out Food Awards are returning. At the George on Collins on Monday September 2, Time Out readers will join the stars of the local restaurant industry to celebrate the city’s best restaurants, cafés and chefs. Expect delicious canapés, Bisleri Sparkling and Still Water, refreshing ales from Gage Roads, and wine and spirits. MasterChef season ten fan favourite Khanh Ong will be your host, announcing winners in categories such as Best Cheap Eat, Chef of the Year and the coveted Restaurant of the Year award. There will also be a new People’s Choice Award celebrating signature eats worth searching for, in partnership with Google. Make sure you read our guide to unique eats in Melbourne, try them all, and get voting for your fave. Tickets ($55 + BF) go on sale from August 1 and will sell quickly, so mark your diary, save the date, spread the word and snap your eating adventures using the handle #foundongoogle. These awards are made possible thanks to our sponsors Google, Gage Roads Brewing and Bisleri. // var exampleCallback = function() { console.log('Order complete!'); }; window.EBWidgets.createWidget({ // Required widgetType: 'checkout', eventId: '64954843686', iframeContainerId: 'eventbrite-widget-container-64954843686', // Optional iframeContainerHeight: 425, // Widget height in pixels. Defaults to a minimum of 425px if not provided
Vote for unique eats in Time Out’s Food Awards
By Time Out in partnership with Google For the Time Out Food Awards 2019, we are partnering with Google to discover unique dishes in our neighbourhoods. We searched far and wide to find some awesome local heroes doing great things worth searching for. The People’s Choice: Signature Searches award invites Time Out readers to discover and try these amazing eats, with the chance to win tickets to the big Time Out Food Awards event in September and more. Here’s what involved. Step one: Read all about Google Signature Searches here. Step two: Try them! Step three: Vote for your favourite and have your say, tagging #foundongoogle Vote now Further event details can be found here. In association with
Land Rover Secret Rooftop Drive Experience
How about some executive stress relief in the middle of Melbourne city? We’re talking an exhilarating rooftop obstacle course, and a brand new Range Rover Evoque to test your driving skills on. It’s the ultimate city buzz for motoring fans, and it’s free. The Secret Rooftop Drive Experience is on top of the Golden Square Carpark for four days only, from Thursday August 29 through to Sunday September 1. Upon arrival behind the yellow door, grab a coffee from the barista, lounge in the social hangout, admire the skyline views and prepare yourself for one hell of a ride. The 15-minute driving experience will take you around a circuit featuring ramps, obstacles, props, projections and artist-painted murals. You’ll be test driving the new Range Rover Evoque – the compact SUV that has a coupé-like silhouette but all the features of an SUV. It’s a hi-tech four-wheel drive with a clean, pared-back design, on- and off-road handling and intuitive technologies. Those technologies include sensors for emergency automatic braking, lane keep assist if you drift out of your lane, front and rear parking assist with audio and graphics, and rear camera for reversing. Boasting retracting door handles and nine-speed automatic transmission, the vehicle has interactive driver display with two high-definition ten-inch touch screens showing driving information, entertainment and active safety data, plus navigation with live traffic updates. There’s phone, music, radio, podcasts and vehicle-optim
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Australian Realness
Zoey Dawson has been one of the most popular playwrights working in Melbourne’s independent theatre scene for the last few years, but this new play marks her mainstage debut. It's a comedy about class in which the cast shine twice; playing two different characters – one bourgeois, one bogan. The cast features Linda Cropper (aka Geraldine from Offspring) alongside André de Vanny, Emily Goddard, Chanella Macri and Greg Stone. Malthouse's artistic director Matthew Lutton says the play starts out as a very recognisable satire but then questions the tropes of Australian class comedy. “It’s sort of looking at the way that class is weaponised, used politically, and asking if it’s an economic definition, a cultural definition; or if any of the definitions are true anymore – or if they’re all porous and constantly changing.” See what else is in Malthouse's 2019 season.