03 April 2007

Mickey D Shame 101

Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2007 
Mickey D Shame 101 
Mary Tobin
13 April 2007 
Victoria Hotel


Shame Michael Shame. Shame, that you so easily put so many other Melbourne Comedy Festival shows to utter shame. If you have forgotten what it is like to laugh until you snort for an hour, get along to Mickey D. 

Mickey D’s Shame 101 is infectiously funny, refreshingly original, skilfully crafted and downright filthy. Adelaide’s own Velocity Boy was always a natural on the stage. He has used his time touring the world to develop into a very skilled performer and hilariously deranged writer.  

Shame celebrates what we are embarrassed about. Snorting laughs, embarrassing parents, farting, masturbating, being caught masturbating by your nanna, scrubbing poo off walls and accidentally biting off a nipple. None of which he finds embarrassing – so why should we!

However, Mickey is very serious about his comedic art. When he needed another 10 minutes of material – he could have just told another story about his Dad heckling passers by – but, not this lad. He went and had a colonic irrigation (yes – that’s a pipe in the bum) … and tells us all about it.

If you’re not convinced by the lure of a colonic story, go to see how well he uses the space and the stage, or enjoy how he includes the audience without ever really embarrassing them.  If you don’t like talking about poo (or won’t admit to it), go to observe how he makes his well written, themed and linked material seem like inspired improvisation, or how he can seamlessly leave and return to his script at any time in an almost Billy Connollyesque style. Mickey blends character with truth and knows how to take what could be very offensive (or very boring) material to the exact moment that it is very funny.

It may be a blessing that his Nanna isn’t here to see it.

Another Postscript about the persistent Adelaide jokes: Yesterday I wrote a review pleading for one original Adelaide joke. My prayers were answered. Thank you Michael. See the show to see what he does.

This review originally appeared on AussieTheatre.com.