MICF - Justin Kennedy: I'm With Stupid

For too many comics, a festival show is a chance to do an hour of their typical stand up, flitting listlessly from topic to topic until they find an excuse to bag Eddie McGuire/John Howard/women. Thankfully, Justin Kennedy is not one of these comics. For his show this year, I'm With Stupid, Kennedy has set himself the task of exploring the subconscious, and has taken to the challenge with gusto, even giving his own subconscious a silly French accent and a hat. The show is an admirable success, taking some of the more complex ideas of psychoanalysis and making them both understandable and funny, two prerequisites for comedic success. The start is simple enough, with a few gags to warm up the crowd, which were made largely at the expense of the comic-unfriendly basement room at Flinders Lane's Duckboard House. Once he gets into the swing of the main material, the gags flow thick and fast. Creative use has been made of the sparse multimedia on offer in the room - some music, conversation between Kennedy and prerecorded voice from his subconscious, and spectacular lighting effects (light on... light off!!) - to add to the vibe. Kennedy is establishing himself as an intelligent and clever comic who stands out from the mire of mediocre Melbourne males.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Lame alliteration Ari.
Just kidding!
Love your work.
14 April 2005 at 00:22
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