Barb Dwyer
Mickey D
Velocity Boy Productions
13 March 2009
Rhino Room
Adelaide creates many exceptionally funny, but ironically complex things: Don Dunstan’s pink shorts, the Mall’s Balls, Pie Floaters and Mickey D.
Mickey is welcomed in the UK, New Zealand, South Africa and anywhere he goes, but there’s nothing quite like watching a comedian in their home town – especially when their mum and dad have popped in to see why their pride and joy left home – and two very gorgeous year 10 girls are in the front row wearing the “Mickey D no #1 Fan” shirts” they made with a tube of glitter glue.
It was an honour to witness young Michael’s proudest moment ever. He saw the shirts, saw the girls, looked up and said, “Dad – I’ve made it!”
Barb Dwyer is Mickey‘s latest show. It‘s not about his mum - say it out loud if you didn‘t have a chuckle. Of course, it’s more than a nice bit of word play - but be warned that Mr Dwyer does play with some sharp and dangerous boundaries.
There are enough risk managed jokes out there; Mickey wants his audience to panic and continues to believe that you should be able to make fun of everything – even Victorian bushfires. Ok, still a bit too soon – so, it was onto the safer territory, like mindas, spastics, the time he broke his mum’s vagina...and Adelaide.
Over the next month, funny folk converge on Melbourne for the International Comedy Festival. Many are also at the Adelaide Fringe now and will open their Victorian shows convinced that Melbourne audiences love an Adelaide bagging. As many Comedy Fest punters have only been to Adelaide once – on a visit to an aunt, who lives in Paradise, when they were 12 – any joke that involves the words church, bogan or Rundle Mall tends to get a superior giggle. Mickey knows the secret though – you can only successfully make fun of Adelaide if you’ve lived there – and then you can gouge at the painfully truthful core. (And anyway, what would Victorians know – they killed Hooksie.)
Minda jokes may be central to Adelaide’s sense of humour. Just call someone a minda and you’ll know immediately if they are from the southern capital, due to their sniggering or embarrassed cringing.
Minda Incorporated provides care and support to intellectually disabled clients. Oh yes, callings someone a minda is making fun of the intellectually disabled. And if that’s where your jokes and insults end – well you’re just a bogan spaz. This is the core of Mickey D’s comedy – he viciously reveals the hypocrisy and bullshit surrounding this kind of insult. Sure, we can call someone a minda, but in doing so, we are really insulting the mindlessness of anyone who thinks that kind of insult is funny.
The minda jokes might not travel out of town, but Barb Dwyer is also about New Zealand, Thailand and Africa - and his Adelaide show really had to be about Adelaide.
Mickey knows he's home because he can’t have a meal in Rundle Street without seeing someone he went to school with, fought with or fucked. I knew I was back in Adelaide when I asked his mum if she was proud of her lad. She is – but worries that she “wasted all those (name of private boys school) school fees.” Trust me, Adelaide people are cacking themselves. (And don’t worry Mrs D – I’m sure my mum has said the same at some point.)
This review originally appeared on AussieTheatre.com.
