Ever had one of those days where you feel like the world is largely populated by idiots? Idiots eating their frozen dinners and thinking God has sent them on a mission to run for president? If you have, and seek a remedy for your despair, seeing Rich Hall’s show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival is probably something you should do. Now. Because Rich Hall is a great comic for those who feel like a laugh, but for those who need it, he’s even better.
Otis Lee Crenshaw – Hall’s famous alter ego – makes no appearance in this year’s incarnation of his show, but while he sticks to more traditional comedy this time around there is no doubting his ability to make us laugh.
His rants are like gravelly-voiced poetry, while his skilled lyricism not only enhances the hilarity of each routine but also makes it more meaningful. Basically, Hall is a stand-up version of quality literature.
The performance on this particular evening was a little rocky at first, but that didn’t last for long; soon the venue rang with uproarious laughter. Hall used a couple of technical hiccups to his advantage, and his gift for improvisation was skilfully demonstrated through audience banter; even when the audience didn’t give up much information, he managed to extract laughs.
Hall has been gracing Melbourne’s stages for approximately two decades and as a result, his regular audiences won’t be too surprised by what’s on offer this year. There’ll be angry rants, there’ll be swearing, there’ll be music, and it’ll be damn well funny.
Hall works off the crowd with the ease of a seasoned pro, playing off people and making up apparently off-the-cuff songs so funny that it appears the only reason that Whose Line is it Anyway? hasn’t recruited him is because he isn’t sunny enough.
Hall’s audiences for the rest of the festival are in for a treat.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Rich Hall
RMIT Capitol Theatre
28 March – 7 April
Melbourne International Comedy Festival
www.comedyfestival.com.au
27 March – 21 April
