One of these shows is a man singing the same song over and over again. You need to see it

Conk | Man Sings The Same Song Over And Over Again For An Hour
The Westin, until April 19

Conk (aka Connor Dariol) delivers exactly what the show title promises: the same song, on repeat, for an hour. By the time he’s finished touring it, he’ll have sung it over 1000 times on stage. Sounds horrific, doesn’t it? I can guarantee you, it’s anything but. It’s a giddy, delirious and hilariously absurd journey down a rabbit hole towards madness for both audience and performer.

Of course, there’s more to the show than the one song. There’s mass singalongs, dancing in the aisles and audience members turning into both a rockstar and a boudoir photographer. It all crescendos into a full-blown music festival. The show was the cult sleeper (and award-winning) hit of the Melbourne Fringe last year. I’d expect the same for this festival, and many others in the future, in a similar vein as to how A Young Man Dressed as a Gorilla Dressed as an Old Man Sits Rocking in a Rocking Chair for 56 Minutes and Then Leaves has become a one-night-only underground staple on the circuit for over 15 years.

If you can have an entire audience shouting for an encore after an hour of hearing the same song on repeat, you know you’ve created something special. And no – I’m not telling you what the song is. You’ll have to see it for yourself.
★★★★
Reviewed by Tyson Wray

Anisa Nandaula | No Small Talk
Various venues (fortyfivedownstairs, Max Watt’s, Melbourne Town Hall), until April 19

Nandaula was nominated for the festival’s best newcomer award only last year, but you wouldn’t know it. The Ugandan-Australian is so comfortable on stage as to barely acknowledge the conventions of stand-up – instead forging her own style and rhythm.

Despite what it says on the tin, Nandaula begins with several minutes of small talk – with the front, second and third rows. Is this comedy, or a conversation hour? While this and other parts of the set could be tightened, it works as a tactic to buy goodwill with the audience – for spending later.

Almost every part of this show deals with race in one way or another. The craft is in keeping the audience on side and the tone light – without for a moment stooping to cheap laughs. Wicked barbs and unexpected punchlines keep us guessing as we explore workplace dynamics, neighbourly fracas and holidaying in Kenya. No one is off limits – not even the Masai. One to watch.
★★★★
Reviewed by Hannah Francis

Abby Govindan | Pushing 30
The Greek - Apollo, until April 19

Abby Govindan loves being Indian and is unafraid to poke fun and spit truths on the shortcomings that come with it. From the title, Pushing 30 suggests it’s about the pressures of ageing, but as the hour continues, Govindan cleverly and animatedly unpacks her relationship with her identity through searing takes on dating, immigration, women’s rights and intergenerational trauma.

She asks the audience to stick with her as she gets political, deftly connecting societal challenges in America and India back to family anecdotes; she cleverly draws connections between the subjugation of women in India and patriarchal gestures towards her from her grandparents.

Being more discerning about topics covered could tighten the show so it transitions more easily between the light and serious tone, however, it was enjoyable when she leveraged earlier references for new insights and gags mentioned later on. A comedic and timely response to geopolitics and how it shapes personal truths.
★★★★
Reviewed by Vyshnavee Wijekumar

Sez | Sorry, What?
The Victoria Hotel - Acacia Room, until April 19

Sez comes out screeching. It’s her vocal warm-up, she says. She’s hyped – ready for 45 minutes of telling quirky, relatable and sometimes saucy tales, often through song. “Does the world feel overwhelming?” she asks.

The vibe is mostly joyous, a little outlandish and a smidge contemplative as Sez strums her guitar, plays her omnichord, and regales the room with witticisms and advice for the youth of today (she’s 27). She calls out bullies, talks sharehouses and gives varied shout-outs. Tonight, she’s “feeling a bit Missy Higgins”.

Expressive and engaging, Sez encourages the crowd to sing along, and judging from the response, all are enamoured and up for the fun of it all. There’s momentary fumbling when the electric guitar stops working before the sound guy appears from the back to do his thing, and she’s back on track. Ending on a catchy, expletive-laden tune, this reviewer found herself singing the chorus exiting the basement venue into the streets of Melbourne.
★★★
Reviewed by Donna Demaio

Casey Filips | What A Character
Trades Hall – Music Room, until April 19

Character comedian and master of eyebrow waggles, Casey Filips, is back with his first new show since his critically acclaimed debut, Virtuoso – this time, with four disparate sketches bringing together a medley of memorable characters.

Filips first steps out as a surly bouncer, perfectly encapsulating the blend of ill-earned authority and humourlessness endemic to such positions. In another sketch, Filips plays a sound engineer running helter-skelter around the room, recording a succession of audience sounds. His turn as a spy is the least successful of the lot, relying on overused sound and light cues, but he finishes on a high as the lisp-afflicted gatekeeper of purgatory.

No one is immune from the chicanery – not even the last row. Not that this should turn you off; the engagement required is simple and benign. Incredibly quick-witted and adept at improvisation, Filips is at his best when he’s riffing off the audience. Though the four, at times, overextended sketches don’t quite scale the heights of his previous show, Filips is always a joy to watch.
★★★
Reviewed by Sonia Nair

The Fairbairns | Fair Dinkum
ACMI-Swinburne Studio, until April 19

At the top of the hour, Lachlan and Jaxon Fairbairn share that they’ve “yet to get through the show without f---ing it up”. The brothers are evidently highly adept at online sketch humour – accruing millions of followers across YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. Fair Dinkum is their first live sketch show. The pair advise the sold-out room that they’re about to do their online stuff “but a bit shitter”.

The introductory quips evoke merriment but true to their word, several of the ensuing sketches feel wholly shambolic and unpolished. After starting strong, the laughs diminish as the scenes roll out. One minute they’re pilots, the next they’re in a doctor’s room, at NASA, and at a school principal’s office.

They both leave the stage between each sketch, manifesting a clunky, too-long lag every time. There are very basic costume changes while two large screens on stage could be put to better, more imaginative use. The biggest laughs arrive when the pair mess up a line or break character. Maybe that’s their shtick.
★★
Reviewed by Donna Demaio

The Age is a Melbourne International Comedy Festival partner.

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