“…is a wonderful thing to see.” ~ Carl Reiner

There’s impro shows all over the calendar in Sydney at the moment (and in many other cities too), so if you enjoyed Comedy Slapdown this week on the Comedy Channel, why not come and see some live impro, and feel the fear right there in front of you?

For the next few Sundays at Belvoir Street Theatre until the Grand Final on December 6th at the Enmore Theatre, teams of improvisors try to knock each other out of the running for the Theatresports(R) Cranston Cup.

Witness the thrills and spills as teams of comic actors create instant scenes based on surprise offers and audience suggestions. Putting their wit and courage to the test, the country’s top improvisers battle it out to get their hands on the biggest, ugliest trophy in Australia.

The Grand Final at Enmore Theatre always sells out, so get booking now, and you could always avoid disappointment and catch one of the Belvoir semi-finals first! I went tonight and had a great time, as did the rest of the audience.

If Sunday night isn’t your thing (or if you just want a bargain), the Roxbury Hotel in Glebe is serving up impro each week as well. On the first and third Tuesdays of each month, Full Body Contact No Love Tennis pits doubles teams against each other in a more long-form style of impro challenge to win something much less ugly (and less big (and less valuable)) than the Cranston Cup. (tickets $10 at door or through moshtix)

Full Body Contact No Love Tennis: pairs of improvisors compete for the tennis u/19 trophy while we dole out audience prizes. you may just win a gem…there’s still a dining table yet to be given away!

On alternate weeks, A Regular One Night Stand sets the scene for the ultimate battle of the sexes on Thursday nights (13 Nov, 27 Nov, 11 Dec - tickets $12/10 through moshtix)

A Regular One Night Stand is a hilarious improvised comedy show which pits boys against girls, and sees the audience vote throughout the evening for who they think is the ‘funniest’ sex. The cast improvise scenes, make up songs and jokes and play solo and team challenges.

There’s also the classic weekly Theatresports(R) show, Scared Scriptless, Thursday nights at the Harold Park hotel in Glebe. This is Sydney’s longest-running impro show, and tickets are only $10.

Elsewhere

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Tags: A Regular One Night Stand, Cranston Cup, Full Body Contact No Love Tennis, Gorilla Theatre, Impro Australia, Impro Melbourne, Impro Vice, Kookaburra Challenge, Open Mic Improv, Scared Scriptless, The Big HOO HAA!, Theatresports(R)

Whether you win or lose a bundle on the gee-gees, kicking on at a comedy show after the race is a fine way to finish off the day.

Your comedy options are listed by State:

SYDNEY

Comedy @ Marble Bar: catch The Axis of Awesome supported by Ray Badran, Jay Sullivan and MC’ed by David Smiedt at the iconic Marble Bar under the Hilton Hotel in George Street, Sydney. Includes “so you think you’re funny?” spot for the audience and a prize for the best hat! Doors 5:30pm, show 7pm $15 [more details]

Full Body Contact No Love Tennis Horse Race: a night of impro mayhem with pairs of veteran improvisors competing for the night’s prize at the Roxbury Hotel in Glebe. 8pm. Book through moshtix [facebook]

Comedy On The Edge@ Hotel William: Makybe Diva as MC! 8pm, Exit by donation [myspace]

Comedy @ The Harold: Harold Park Hotel: Featuring Brett Nichols 7pm, [more details]

Ridiculismus @ Belvoir: UK comedy duo play all the parts in The Importance of Being Earnest. Multi-award winning show. 6:30pm on Tuesday nights. $52/$45/$33 [more details]

MELBOURNE
Being a public holiday, there’s a Monday night gig kicking on late because everybody can sleep in the next day!
Local Laughs @ The Local, St Kilda: Why not wear a hat? MC is Lawrence Mooney
PLUS: David Quirk, Damian Lawlor, Ryan Coffey, Dan Walmsley, Adam Knox, Richard McKenzie, and more. $12/10 [myspace]

Tuesday night:
Laughing Lion @ Toorak Lion: Chris Franklin, CJ Fortuna, Eliza Rounds, Cameron Marshall, Steele Saunders & Luke Ryan. Doors 8pm, show 8:30 $12/10 Ph: (03) 9827 8244 [myspace]

Mock The Vote @ The Bella Union Bar (Trades Hall): A night of fresh political satire, witty barbs and last chance deals on George Bush material. Hosted by Courteney Hocking and featuring Rod Quantock, Mat Keneally, Dan Burt, Kate McClennan and Nick Caddaye. There’s a panel of political pundits, and quite possibly no horses will be mentioned at all. $18/$15 [more details]

ADELAIDE
PJ O’Briens: Featuring Ben Darsow, MC Phil Cowie. 8pm, $10 Entry $8 Conc. [more details]

PERTH
Wild West Comedy Fest @ Subiaco: spoiled for choice! Featuring performances by Rachel Berger, The Scared Weird Little Guys, Ben Russell, Jeff Hewitt and many more!!! [more details]

Addit: Shapiro Tuesdays @ Lazy Susan’s (upstairs at The Brisbane): MC Ben Wright, Jordan Newnham, James Palm, Josh Makinda, Cameron Davis, John Conway, Laura Davis, Paris, Tess and Sam (class clowns WA winners), Ben Russell, Zack Adams & The Sexy Ghosts [more details on facebook]

Please leave details of any comedy shows not listed in the comments below.

Tags: Axis of Awesome, Bella Union, Belvoir, Ben Darsow, Ben Wright, Brett Nichols, Chris Franklin, CJ Fortuna, Damian Lawlor, David Quirk, Full Body Contact, Harold Park, Laughing Lion, Lazy Susan's, melbourne cup, Mock the Vote, Phil Cowie, PJ Obrien's, Ridiculismus, Rod Quantock, Ryan Coffey, Shapiro Tuesdays, Wild West Comedy Fest

It’s a big line-up for the festival this year: 26 days of stellar Australian comedy acts, starting from October 28th.

Big Purple Undies
Fiona O’Loughlin
Rachel Berger
Tom Gleeson
Bob Franklin
Scared Weird Little Guys
Over The Fence
Comedy Film Festival
Tym Jeffery
Dolores Lorette
Tom Middlebrook
Ben Russell
Zack Adams
Kieran Butler
Jeff Hewitt
Luke & Drew
John Robertson
Comedy Killed the Radio Star
Matt Dyktynski
Llama Bar Festival HQ
Heath Franklin’s CHOPPER
Flying Heart - Broom! Broom!
George Smilovici

More info at the official festival website.

Tags: Ben Russell, Big Purple Undies, Bob Franklin, Dolores Lorette, Fiona O'Loughlin, George Smilovici, Heath Franklin, Jeff Hewitt, John Robertson, Kieran Butler, Luke & Drew, Matt Dyktynski, Rachel Berger, Scared Weird Little Guys, Subiaco, Tom Gleeson, Tom Middlebrook, Tym Jeffery, Wild West Comedy, Zack Adams

Update: too late now! Wonder how it went.

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Fresh off the press from Shapiro Tuesdays @ Lazy Susan’s Comedy Den: come down for a laugh and see some TV and radio being made.

Subject: Our hour of need… We need bums on seats!

Sorry for the late notice guys, but ABC RADIO and AUSTRALIAN IDOL’S CAMERAS are coming down tonight to record parts of the show and it would be just swell if the room was presented as a room that people actually go to and laugh. I’m not asking you to lie, just be here.

How’s this for a deal - You turn up and we’ll be hilarious.

And with Ben Russell leading the way how could it be anything less?

Details:
Tuesday Comedy Night at Lazy Susan’s - “Shapiro Tuesdays”
8pm @ Lazy Susan’s Comedy Den, Upstairs @ The Brisbane Hotel.
Admission Is Only $5
Location: 292 Beaufort Street, Highgate

Tags: ABC Radio, audience needed, Australian Idol, Ben Russell, Lazy Susan's, Shapiro Tuesdays, urgent

June is when most comedy tours finish up here in Oz for a few months as flocks of comedians head north for the comedy festivals of Edinburgh, Montreal and various smaller summer comedy festivals in the northern hemisphere. So the next few weeks are your best chance to catch top comics putting those finishing touches to the shows they’ve been working on all this year. (Of course their absence in July/August means that our winters are the best months to go to your local comedy room to see emerging talent alongside the veterans who’ve done their festival rounds years ago.)

Update: The QPAC In Stitches Comedy Festival 17-29 June at the Queensland Performing Arts Festival - see new post with full details.

Touring now:

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Tags: Austen Tayshus, Chopper, Eddie Ifft, Elliott Goblett, Frank Woodley, Garry Who, George Smilovici, Heath Franklin, MICF Roadshow, Rachel Berger, Ross Daniels, Scared Weird Little Guys

From Perth Now:

The official death toll stands at 80,000 with more than 130,000 missing presumed dead in the wake of Cyclone Nargis. And many more Burmese are threatened by serious illness.

Aid workers are trying to help the storm-ravaged country, though their efforts are being hampered by Burma’s ruling junta, which is refusing to let many in.

It is with the view of offering financial assistance that comedians Jimmy James Eaton, Andrea Gibbs, Werzel, Matt Dyktinski and Luke and Wyatt have volunteered their time to raise money for the cause.

The night has been organised by Perth journalist Rebecca Martin, who once lived in Burma/Myanmar, with assistance from comedian Sam Longley. So head down to Freo and get a warm giving glow while you get some hot laughs.

Details:

• Karma Comedy, Fri, 6.30pm.
  Port Cineaste, Adelaide St, Fremantle. Tickets $31 from BOCS.

Tags: Andrea Gibbs, Burma, Comic Relief, Jimmy James Eaton, Karma Comedy, Luke, Matt Dyktinski, Sam Longley, Werzel, Wyatt