Melbourne Comedy Festival
Comics to tie the knot in support of gay marriage
ANNABEL ROSS It wouldn't be the first marriage proposal aided along by a few drinks, but there's little else that's ordinary about the impending nuptials of comedians Rhys Nicholson and Zoe Coombs Marr.
Review: Aunty Donna's marvellous silliness
Cameron Woodhead The cult favourites are at their best when their brand of madcap flapdoodle rises to the condition of satire.
Review: Nish Kumar finds kindred souls
Anne-Marie Peard This is top-notch, self-reflective stand-up about the changing nature of comedy.
Review: Tongue in Cheek Nath Valvo's best
MICHAEL LALLO Some stand-ups trod on their own jokes trying to Make a Point. Not Nath Valvo.
Review: Ben Russell and Xavier Michelides
Dewi Cooke This late night effort from two comedy veterans works terrifically in parts, but at other times its meta narrative feels too knowing.
Review: Peter Helliar's One Hot Mess
Reviewed by Cameron Woodhead Helliar is an old hand at stand-up, even if his material is mostly retrograde gender japery.
Review: Twins off-key in crass cacophony
Cameron Woodhead Trevor Ashley and Rhonda Burchmore's show suffers from crass humour and low stereotypes.
Showbiz camp serves Hal Cruttenden well
STEPHANIE BUNBURY The British funnyman exploits his camp delivery to hilarious, and often biting, effect.
Review: The Axis has shifted, but not skills
Cameron Woodhead With talent for music and comedy equally matched, this show should win The Axis of Awesome a host of new fans.
Review: Fricker's natural cynicism missing
CRAIG PLATT Fricker draws strongly on her own personal experiences and is not afraid to bare her scars to the audience.
Review: Bhoy is long on wit but falls short
ANNABEL ROSS Comedian Danny Bhoy's new show targets Australia's rate of leadership change, the Scottish referendum, and even Princess Diana.
Review: Badran fights back from controversy
CRAIG PLATT Ray Badran was at the centre of a social media storm last year for abusing an audience member. How does a relatively new performer recover from that?
Review: Munnery's wavelength a bumpy ride
CRAIG PLATT As you might expect from a show with such a mix, there's no theme or narrative.
Review: Shiralee Hood breaks down barriers
Anne-Marie Peard A past Deadly Funny winner, Shiralee Hood is back to remind us to always Rock the Boat.
Review: Adrienne Truscott no one-trick pony
Anne-Marie Peard This is feminism and comedy and art that shreds irony, shocks sense into the world, and creates space and gloriously loud voices for women.
Review: No dying of laughter with Nitschke
Cameron Woodhead The euthanasia advocate's talent for humour pales in comparison to his gift for publicity.
Review: DAAS on song with tinge of grey
Cam Woodhead The trio's politically incorrect comedy, with its filthy songs, puerile humour, and misty-eyed fondness for terrorist groups, remains intact.
Hot Brown Honey's hip-hop cabaret
KYLIE NORTHOVER An all-woman troupe of "black, brown and mixed beauties", Hot Brown Honey take burlesque back to its origins, using cabaret, theatre and, yes, some striptease.
Daniel Sloss lives, breathes and eats comedy
Stephanie Bunbury Sloss is a great believer in the comedian's right to talk about anything as long as it's funny; not for nothing is his show called Dark.
Review: Daniel Sloss' shockingly Dark humour
CRAIG PLATT It's not enough for Sloss to get a laugh through the shock tactic of saying outrageous things; he wants to make the audience reflect on why we're laughing.
Review: Damien Power fears for humans
CRAIG PLATT Power is a deep thinker dressed up as a knockabout pub comedian.
Review: Celia Pacquola's wit slices and dices
Cameron Woodhead One of our most gifted stand-ups dials down the cuteness to deliver razor-sharp comedy.
Review: Joel Creasey likable Crown Prince
Reviewed by Tim Richards Likeable and irreverent, Joel Creasey spills the beans on his celebrity experiences.
Review: Al Murray's The Empire Strikes Back
Richard Watts English comedian Al Murray's 'The Pub Landlord' has aged like a vintage cheddar: he's complex, full-bodied and a little nutty.
The best of the fest so far
ANNABEL ROSS The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is nearly halfway over already, but don't worry, there are still plenty of laughs to be had.
Review: Jaws will drop at Stunt Lounge
Cameron Woodhead This show offers jaw-dropping feats framed by the emotional timbre of adolescence, with its rebelliousness and risk-taking, angst and puppy love.
Review: Laura Davis dives into deep end
Anne-Marie Peard Extraordinary stand-up that squeezes your the heart until you feel the blood surging through your body.
Review: Vintage love story wins hearts
CRAIG PLATT Joel Dommett's set is peppered will great set pieces that raise this show above a standard boy-meets-girl tale.
Review: Fast and slickly skilled
CRAIG PLATT He appeared on Letterman a record 46 times but Jake Johannsen's stream-of-consciousness style isn't random – it's a skill.
Review: Dogmatic ditches the woe
Anne-Marie Peard Hannah Gadsby's so loved that we should put her profile on all new Australian coins.
Review: A fun stand-up show for kids
Cameron Woodhead A fun stand-up show for kids from Irish comedian David O'Doherty, the kind of person who makes toast in a space-suit.
Review: Wil Anderson gives wit a twist
LIAM MANNIX Meticulously honed, Wil Anderson has so much good material and only an hour to get through it.
Review: Still under construction, perhaps
DEBBIE CUTHBERTSON She's a Jill of all trades, but can Jen Kirkman master them all?
Review: Holding mirror to white Australia
LIAM MANNIX Hussain's comedy is at its best when he is satirising his audience. Most of the audience is outside the joke, but that's the funny bit.
Review: Abbott! feels past its peak
TIM RICHARDS Nic Conway's Tony Abbott impersonation is a highlight, but there's not enough of him in this dramatically rewritten musical comedy.
Review: Sam Simmons' Not A People Person
Richard Watts "This is the show, people … it's not as good as last year."
Comedian Sam Simmons returns to stage
John Bailey Last year Sam Simmons won two of the world's top comedy gongs. This year the self-proclaimed "coriander of comedy" is back with extra spice.
Review: Tom Ballard's Boundless Plains
TIM RICHARDS Boundless Plains to Share is a mess of ideas and approaches. Ballard has so much to cover, he's sometimes hard to understand as he tears through the copious material.
Review: Why Geraldine Quinn should be a star
Anne-Marie Peard Her songs demand attention with music that makes you want to sing along and lyrics that are easy to miss because you're still laughing from the last verse.
Glasgow's Larry Dean confounds expectations
STEPHANIE BUNBURY Scottish comedian Larry Dean has a cheeky, boyish persona which lets him get away with some fairly lurid lines.
Review: Zoe Coombs Marr's Trigger Warning
Anne-Marie Peard Don't tell Dave that his painfully intelligent reflections on female and queer exclusion are the real gold.
Review: Mae Martin's engaging introspection
TIM RICHARDS Her bemusement over the labels people give to sexuality is at the heart of Martin's show.
Review: Igor Meerson a breath of fresh air
TIM RICHARDS This is not one of those shows to focus on the differences between men and women.
Review: Rich Hall takes skewer to us and them
CRAIG PLATT Hall's talent for improvisation is on show in a solid, entertaining hour of comedy.
Review: Headliners showcase a mixed bag
Dewi Cooke With four distinct personalities sharing the stage, there are bound to be ups and downs.
Review: Felicity Ward on love and toilets
Anne-Marie Peard Felcitiy Ward's honest new show explores her new found love and her old friend anxiety.
Review: Alex Edelman's dark encounters
TIM RICHARDS Fresh-faced Edelman delivers a warm take on identity.
Review: Bridget Everett's R-rated belly laughs
DEBBIE CUTHBERTSON Fun for the whole family: if your idea of family fun is seeing your mum and dad motorboated.
Tommy Tiernan goes walking on the wild side
STEPHANIE BUNBURY The Irish funny man is used to being at the centre of some unholy rows.
Meet 82-year-old comedian Lynn Ruth Miller
Dewi Cooke Lynn Ruth Miller is on a mission to prove that getting old doesn't have to be all that bad.
Circus left Brussels airport hours before attack
AISHA DOW Belgium juggling trio Bram Dobbelaere, Gab Bondewel and Sander De Cuyper were already in the air on their way to perform in the Melbourne International Comedy Festival when terrorists struck Brussels Airport.
Review: Ross Noble's brain a trove of ideas
Dewi Cooke Noble's fans will find their hero in fine form, for everyone else, best try to keep up.
Review: Penny Arcade an orgasm of adrenalin
Anne-Marie Peard Dancing in a bright-red mini-dress, she's cool with being 67 - and makes us feel better about ourselves, too.
Review: Tom Green looks back and forth
PETER KER From Drew Barrymore to Donald Trump, the Canadian comic covers all bases.
Sami Shah's second life as a comedian
John Bailey Comedian Sami Shah honed his act in the virtual world of Second Life before moving to Australia.
Comedy Festival takes you around the world
Eight acts to catch at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
Mae Martin changes minds through comedy
STEPHANIE BUNBURY Canadian comedian Mae Martin finds humour can change people's minds in ways she didn't expect.
Life catches up with the art of Al Murray
STEPHANIE BUNBURY Imagine being a comedian who has successfully carved out a long-running character full of stupid opinions and bonhomie. Then imagine finding that the most talked-about person in public life is suddenly Nigel Farage.
Double Trouble: Rhonda and Trevor are Twins
ANNABEL ROSS The leggy theatre artist and the fabulous drag diva reunite.
Geraldine Quinn's brilliant comedy career
Sean Wilson Trained as an actor, wanting to be a musician, cabaret proved the perfect outlet for Geraldine Quinn.
Jen Kirkman says the stage is her 'safe place'
SARAH THOMAS Jen Kirkman overcame anxiety to become one of the US's sharpest and most honest comedians.
Festival inspires artists to flex funny bone
Sonia Harford From Hogarth's satire to Duchamp's piss-take in a urinal called Fountain, art has often been funny – and turned in on itself.
Three decades of laughing out loud
Joanne Brookfield In its 30 years, Melbourne's comedy festival has grown to become one of the world's biggest and best.
Nick Cody's sweary shtick wins fans
STEPHANIE BUNBURY Nick Cody is about as Australian as a hard-earned thirst, this audience has only a sprinkling of expat among the Londoners. And they were all loving him.
Comedy festival reaches the funny side of 30
They were babies when the festival began. So what do today's 30-year-olds find funny?
Ronny Chieng comes up Trumps
MICHAEL IDATO Melbourne comedian and Daily Show correspondent on presedential hopefuls and private failure.
Celia Pacquola to host festival gala
John Bailey Just 10 years after her first stand-up gig, Pacquola will host one of the festival's largest events. No pressure.
MICF: Attention seeking from the start
ANNABEL ROSS The raucous launch of the 1987 Melbourne International Comedy Festival was to set the tone for the next thirty 30 years.
By George, he could have been Costanza
John Bailey Jake Johannsen may not be a household name in Australia, but his career includes a record 46 spots on the Late Show with David Letterman.
Festival queries plan to use suicide machine
ANNABEL ROSS The Melbourne International Comedy Festival has queried controversial euthanasia advocate Philip Nitschke about his plans to demonstrate his suicide machine in his upcoming comedy show.
Comics stir mix ahead of Comedy Festival
ANNABEL ROSS A new event provides a platform for comedians to test their material before the MICF in March.
