Geraldine Quinn - Sunday, 24th April 2011 - Melbourne Town Hall, Melbourne
The last show that we saw at the Comedy Festival was Geraldine Quinn. Ahh, Gerry. Samantha, Dave and I saw her show last year (Shut Up and Sing), and she was batshit mental over the top. There were some extremely funny moments in the show, like her ridiculous dance moves tutorial. But it was certainly wasn't a subtle show: it was in your face, loud and unhinged... maybe just like pop music it was skewering. She also lost most of her clothes... I knew there would be costume changes, but didn't expect that she'd end up wearing a ridiculous Gaga-esque costume with a flaming crotch. (She's a redhead). To be honest, it was a show that was pretty uncomfortable to watch, and Dave has teased me about the show ever since.
Given how awkward the show was, why did we see her again? Well, I have her as a Facebook friend and find her online presence quite likeable and entertaining... and her shows had been getting great reviews (but they did last time as well!). I figured I could give her another try, and managed to rope both Dave and Samantha in again. Last year's show was based around modern pop songs, but this show entitled, You're the Voice was dedicated to anthems and power-ballads.
But was the show any good? Well, Dave thought it was less funny and hated it even more than the last show! But I quite enjoyed it and thought that at its heart it was a really sweet and nice show. Samantha on the other hand, thought the show was alright and admitted that she wasn't uncomfortable this time around. (Her theory was that we knew what to expect). To be fair, Dave was right, the show wasn't as funny: there were no side-splitting funny moments like the previous show. And yes, she did have a few costume changes, but thankfully didn't lose all of her clothes.
This time around songs covered topics like moving back in with your parents (at the age of 35), getting drunk at home, an 80s party metal song (about her teenage years), which was appropriately followed by an overblown 80s Aerosmith power-ballad with the chorus of "You're not the one for me... but you'll do!". There was also a over-the-top, multi-part 7min rock opera about the Comedy Festival, told from the perspective of different people involved: the person who books the show, the person who mans the sound desk, a journalist reviewing the show and a performer. But after the glitz of Comedy Festival, her next song, an acoustic ballad, pointed out that you're still 35, stuck at home living with your parents... and quite possibly going nowhere. But thankfully, the whole thing ended with a big optimistic, and tasteful (read: not overdone) power ballad with a chorus along the lines of "as long as we're still moving, we're not sinking".
Her show was also nominated for a Comedy Festival award: the Golden Gibbo, which is "awarded to a local, independent show that bucks trends and pursues the artist's idea more strongly than it pursues any commercial lure". Later that night, after her show, she won the award. It turns out the award trophy is a bottle of wine. Neat.
So, would I see her at the Comedy Festival next year? Yeah, I probably would. I doubt I'd be able to drag Samantha along to it, and Dave would probably rather fed into a woodchipper than attend another of her shows. His loss!
Given how awkward the show was, why did we see her again? Well, I have her as a Facebook friend and find her online presence quite likeable and entertaining... and her shows had been getting great reviews (but they did last time as well!). I figured I could give her another try, and managed to rope both Dave and Samantha in again. Last year's show was based around modern pop songs, but this show entitled, You're the Voice was dedicated to anthems and power-ballads.
But was the show any good? Well, Dave thought it was less funny and hated it even more than the last show! But I quite enjoyed it and thought that at its heart it was a really sweet and nice show. Samantha on the other hand, thought the show was alright and admitted that she wasn't uncomfortable this time around. (Her theory was that we knew what to expect). To be fair, Dave was right, the show wasn't as funny: there were no side-splitting funny moments like the previous show. And yes, she did have a few costume changes, but thankfully didn't lose all of her clothes.
This time around songs covered topics like moving back in with your parents (at the age of 35), getting drunk at home, an 80s party metal song (about her teenage years), which was appropriately followed by an overblown 80s Aerosmith power-ballad with the chorus of "You're not the one for me... but you'll do!". There was also a over-the-top, multi-part 7min rock opera about the Comedy Festival, told from the perspective of different people involved: the person who books the show, the person who mans the sound desk, a journalist reviewing the show and a performer. But after the glitz of Comedy Festival, her next song, an acoustic ballad, pointed out that you're still 35, stuck at home living with your parents... and quite possibly going nowhere. But thankfully, the whole thing ended with a big optimistic, and tasteful (read: not overdone) power ballad with a chorus along the lines of "as long as we're still moving, we're not sinking".
Her show was also nominated for a Comedy Festival award: the Golden Gibbo, which is "awarded to a local, independent show that bucks trends and pursues the artist's idea more strongly than it pursues any commercial lure". Later that night, after her show, she won the award. It turns out the award trophy is a bottle of wine. Neat.
So, would I see her at the Comedy Festival next year? Yeah, I probably would. I doubt I'd be able to drag Samantha along to it, and Dave would probably rather fed into a woodchipper than attend another of her shows. His loss!