Review – Rear Admiral, November
Less than six months old, Rear Admiral Comedy at The Gov is rapidly growing into an institution of the Adelaide comedy scene. Those seeking to shake off their Garfield-esque Monday-itis with some stand-up are spoilt for choice around town. Rhino Room’s Onemicstand is where you can go to see Radelaide Comedy n00bs tickle funny bones, rub shoulders with the established stalwarts of the scene, and occasionally die on stage. And the Ed Castle’s Monday Night for the Lonely Soul combines a wide menu of value pub meals, music, comedy, musical comedy and miscellaneous dinner theatre to make for a Pot Luck variety show. Rear Admiral at the Gov every Monday night is going all-out straight down the line, with a no-nonsense approach to taking its comedy seriously. The format is simple: six solid comedians doing longer, stronger sets, a cheap schnitty, home and tucked in by ten-thirty.
Eddie Bannon opened his hosting set by pointing out the tastefulness of combining a glitter curtain with portraits of vintage erotica in a schnitzel-orientated setting. Managing to makes jokes about the scenery without chewing on it, Eddie has hosted enough shows that he’s comfortable enough making meta-jokes about pretending to be nervous, doing a bit about not saying The C Word – and then saying it – and promoting The Gov’s cheap schnitzels by finishing one off on-stage. (Jokes aside, $15 for a show and schnitzel is nothing to sneeze at… or on.) And on that note, Graham Self further assured us that “Schnitzels are the funniest food,” before firing off a set as smart as it was smart-arse, centred around a list jokes that his Third World sponsor child has sent him.
Ivan Aristeguieta has built his schtick on being the Venezualean outsider, commenting on things all locals will identify with: whether or not to put sauce on a pie floater, how thin to spread Vegemite, and the drinking coffee through a Tim-Tam. Ivan has been doing comedy long enough and regularly enough that this is far more than just finding the right topics to talk about. His way of working the room is to tap into those ‘Isn’t Life Funny?’ observations that everyone thinks when they’re alone in line at the supermarket but has never said out loud.
Justin J Stone (who runs Rear Admiral with sweetheart and fellow comedienne Julia Clarke) brought out one of his more hilarious characters: think a nervously buttoned-down comedian with a sweaty cowlick, reading an obscene letter from a Rundle Street preacher to Almighty God. A few weeks ago, Justin spun an earlier incarnation of a similar set at the Rhino Room. There at the intentionally experimental Comedy Lab gig, he broke into chuckles and couldn’t help snorting at the absurdity of the persona he’d created. Here at home, at the comedy night that he Admirably birthed from his own Rear, he can make the character fly off the deep end, wrapping himself in the glittered curtains behind him as he screams about being an angel ascending to heaven.
Deb Bland also wrapped herself in the silver curtain, smirking “I’m a chocolate bar!” The dilemma with Deb’s comedy isn’t whether or not your Average Joe thinks an Indigenous comic can get away with petrol-sniffing jokes, as she is able to ride the gasps and guffaws of her audience as avidly as anyone could respond to genuine giggles and hoots. The greater riddle is, how much is having her humour hinge on those racial clichés holding back her own development as a comedian? It’s a good thing she finished with her song about anal sex being a cure for post-natal depression, or she may have lost us completely.
British cop turned Adelaide comedian Dave Webb may have only been doing standup for 18 months, but he is able to be not just confident in his delivery but comfortable in making the room his own. The height of his performance was his ongoing gag about doing a poo shaped like a Toblerone, and he didn’t miss a beat when someone in the front row couldn’t resist complimenting one of his lines. “Yes, it was a nice pun. Because I’m doing comedy.” And doing it well.
Marcel Blanch-de Wilt bloomed even brighter in his feature act, lassoing any lingering awkwardness in the room. Cutting his teeth in comedy in 2011, he has since sunk his chompers into everything he can, from Comedy 4 Kids gigs and hosting Grand Final days at RSLs, to spoken word rap battles and hosting weekly podcast The Loose Five. If variety is the spice of life, Marcel’s various labours are bearing sweet and juicy fruit; he is able to rope in the ebbs and flows of laughter in the room, whether he’s telling us Fun Facts About Bears, breaking into a Broadway song, or explaining just how closely the story of The Terminator matches that of Jesus Christ.
Considering Rear Admiral Comedy at The Gov has only been going for a few months, it’s good to know that it’s going to be a part of comedy in Adelaide for the foreseeable future and has found a tight little corner to settle itself into.
