While sometimes being a gamble, group stand up shows are always a cost effective way of getting a taste of some lesser known comedians. Capital Punishment saw a band of acts from Canberra heading down the Hume Highway to make their mark on Melbourne audiences.
First up were The Stevenson Experience comprised of identical twins Benjamin and James whose stock in trade were funny songs including parodies. Through some clever wordplay and plenty of inappropriate suggestion, their tunes had the crowd chuckling throughout. They were able to exaggerate on some sibling rivalry to provide plenty of laughs with their banter. Not only did they look the same, their voices were also similar so instead of harmonies you got a stereo effect! Overall they were great way to kick off the show.
Next up was Daniel Connell, a stand up who regaled us with jokes and stories about his family and upbringing that most people could relate to. There wasn’t anything particularly unique about his stage presence and delivery, but he was likeable enough to keep the crowd on side and his mostly PG material was strong enough to keep the punters laughing.
Following Daniel was Emo Parsonson who, dressed in Acrubra hat and RM Williams t shirt, was selling himself as the country bumpkin of the group (he did come from the small town of Wee Jasper) but he often came across as the more sophisticated one. His set mainly consisted of stories about growing up on the farm which were interesting but ones that the crowd didn’t exactly find hilarious. After this awkward stand off the audience seemed to warm to him a little toward the end, but he was unsettled enough to end with a whimper rather than a bang.
Dayne Rathbone was next and performed a brilliant character piece that was timid, emotionally stunted and rather creepy. This man child obsessed with rockets, dragons and penises was a perfectly constructed misfit. He recited a self penned story, awkwardly sang a song complete with wacky gestures, presented crude drawings with elaborate explanations and read from a script with the assistance of female punter. He maintained this strange persona for the duration and his rambling delivery fit perfectly with the script that veered off in many random directions. He had the crowd in stitches and was the highlight of the show.
Another musical act closed that show in the guise of Herbie and the Coleslaws (Hamish and Lizzie), a duo on guitars. Their songs were a little light on actual humourous material, instead relying on the shock of vulgarity and crude wordplay to achieve their laughs. Their banter and enthusiasm was infectious though, so it was fun way to end the show.
Capital Punishment was quite the mixed bag. The majority of the acts took full advantage of the late time slot to include plentiful sexual references and profanity of which this particular audience ate up. If you are looking for a ribald show to end your evening in the CBD and are willing to take a chance on some new faces, this show may be what you are looking for.
For booking details visit the Comedy Festival website