Those following the world news for a time may feel that “Great Britain” has become somewhat dubious of late. Frankie Monroe Live!!! (&Dead!!!) is notionally about the manager and Emcee of a Workingman’s Club in decline, like most of its patrons.
Somewhat subtly, the show considers how waning traditions can cause anxiety about the future. More importantly for MICF punters, the character comedy here delivers many laughs borne of surprises.
Monroe’s South Yorkshire club, The Misty Moon, is a venue for variety acts (and more, as we would later learn). As this is a one-man show, Yorkshireman Joe Kent-Walters plays Monroe as well as his club’s range of awkward-to-underwhelming performers.
Aussies of Anglo roots, despite lacking the direct experience of our forebears, can feel the echoes of a once-proud lineage here. For many years, Australian TV had something like The Morecambe & Wise Show or The Two Ronnies, featuring a blend of eccentric sketch comedy and song-and-dance numbers.
We also get this in Kent-Walters’ nimble performance, which might explain his accolades, such as the Edinburgh Comedy Award for “Best Newcomer” for 2024.
Long ago, Monroe was content with his (seemingly humdrum) life, centred around the club and his domestic routines. But the club is also a “gateway to hell” (well, it’s good enough for Buffy in Sunnydale), so an expressed desire to avoid change in his life triggered a demonic pact. But eventually, debts have to be paid, and as stories like Bedazzled have shown, maybe you don’t quite get the bargain you intended.
Even if Monroe hasn’t changed for years (the cause of that powder-white face maybe?), his club’s line-up, and its thinning audience, make the glory days of variety shows seem very distant. That’s why our host is so desperate to appeal to the youngsters in tonight’s crowd, delivering some handy payoffs.
Well-controlled audience participation segments educated us about club traditions, whilst also showing the delightful oddity of Kent-Walters’ creations. Enthusiastic musical routines, say relating to his special trowel (not a spoiler as it was featured in the MICF blurb) could have come from an episode of The Mighty Boosh.
Despite the news about Brexit and populist politics there’s still some fight in the British people, even in this veteran club owner, as the nutty conclusion shows. Those who find stand-up (even by the bigger names) generally quite tame, will surely enjoy having their expectations regularly undercut by this show.
Comedy fans wanting to experience a committed performance, or wondering what Tim Vine would be like with a more egotistical edge, should be well pleased with Kent-Walters’ peculiar, very-much-alive hybrid of music and comedy.
Frankie Monroe: Live!!! (& Dead!!!)
The Greek (Aphrodite), 168 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
Performance: Saturday 28March 2026 (8:40pm)
Season continues to 19 April 2026
Information and Bookings: www.comedyfestival.com.au
Image: Joe Kent-Walters stars in Frankie Monroe: Live!!! (& Dead!!!)
Review: Jason Whyte