Well, it certainly doesn’t help when the bouncer sends you upstairs to an empty room for comedy that’s actually taking place in a sneaky room beside the bar on the ground floor, but the 10-12 of us got there eventually.
Phoebe O’Brien, clad in a sparkly jacket that turned the wall behind her into the ‘Star Gate’ sequence from 2001, struck up a nice rapport with the audience. Helped by a series of slides courtesy of Microsoft Paint and Officeworks, she had a mostly relaxed style of performance that included some nice stories.
Stephen Porter was next, with an admittedly more haphazard set, yet one that still provided some laughs. There were moments when his grip on the material seemed less secure, but this will settle down as both writing and on-stage presence develops.
Rounding out the night was Anthony McCormack, who did well, coming across pretty comfortable up there. A final anecdote about watching a nature documentary lacked some punch as he slipped too far into a euphemism muddle, but it was a good set to end the night.
Shut Your Juicy Mouth
Loop Project Space & Bar, 19-23 Meyers Place, Melbourne
Performance: Wednesday 29 March 2017 – 8.00pm
Season continues to 1 April 2017
Information and Bookings: www.comedyfestival.com.au
Image: Anthony McCormack, Phoebe O’Brien and Stephen Porter feature in Shut your Juicy Mouth (supplied)