MELT Comedy Gala

MELT Comedy Gala
Hosted by Rhys Nicholson. Part of MELT: Festival of Queer Arts and Culture. Presented by Brisbane Comedy Festival. Powerhouse Theatre. 30 June, 2019

The first ever MELT Comedy Gala delivered ample laughs for the sell-out crowd at Brisbane’s Powerhouse Theatre. The line-up included a variety of comedic styles presented by some of Australia’s best LBGTQI comedians.

The evening kicked off with the fantastic and stylish MC, Rhys Nicholson. His fast-paced, clever mode of delivery had the audience in stitches from the get-go. Rhys has a knack for making his work extremely relatable and easy to enjoy, without the need to dumb things down or pretend to be someone he isn’t. His ad-libs were just as hilarious as his well-honed material. Rhys’ tailored, ‘thin white duke’-esque visual brand also worked very well for him in the MC role, as it brought an added level of professionalism to the show.

The first act for the night was local comic, Sam Bowden. Very comfortable on stage and with the crowd, Sam made an easy connection with the enthusiastic audience. Much of his humour was self-deprecating, joking about his body issues and difficulties with being single. Sam’s set started strongly but lost a little momentum toward the end. None-the-less his observational work was appreciated.

Following Sam, the energetic and quirky Demi Lardner had everyone roaring with laughter with her unique mixed-media performance. Demi’s work was observational and absurd, with a touch of the surreal. She used pre-recorded music and voiceover to segue way into skits and jokes. Aside from Rhys, Demi’s was some of the strongest work in the Gala.

Alex Ward had the unenviable task of having to follow Demi. Unperturbed, Alex had the audience in the palm of her hand. Her relaxed, storytelling style was a welcome contrast and had solid jokes peppered throughout. Alex was very easy to like, and she had good connection with the audience through her set. You could tell many of the audience members were powerfully relating to Alex’s experiences and opinions.

After Alex’s set, Rhys Nicholson returned to the stage to deliver more energetic and hilarious comedy. He packed a lot of jokes into a short timeframe while the stage was set for the one musical act of the night, Jude Perl.

Jude presented three songs. The first encouraged people to only use labels if they’re helpful. It delivered solid laughs throughout. Jude’s between-song patter was similar in style to what you’d find in a cabaret show. The second and third songs were more serious in tone than the first. They felt more like novelty cabaret songs than what you may expect from a comedy show. Jude’s singing voice and keyboard playing was practically flawless. 

Rhys returned to the stage after Jude and expertly filled the time while the keyboard was being struck from the stage with more hilarity. His energy hadn’t waned in the slightest and his joke-per-minute count was very high.

Transitioning comedian Cassie Workman was up next. Cassie’s style was quite laid back and considered. She had some clever concepts in her jokes. Her material touched on her experiences as a male transitioning to female but didn’t dwell there for the entire set. She also included unique and quirky observational material on a variety of other topics.

After one more lightning-fast, witty set from our MC Rhys, closer Tom Ballard hit the stage. Tom delivered smart, topical material with confidence and skill. Occasionally delving into some self-deprecation, the cream of his work was the edgy and challenging material, which was delivered without shock factor or offensiveness.  His relaxed, everyman persona contrasted with a somewhat ‘shouty’ style, was lapped up by the cackling crowd. Tom’s set also ranked as one of the best of the night.

If this represents the first in a line of MELT Comedy Galas for years to come, 2020 and beyond have a lot to live up to. This was a tight, funny and warm show with a lot of variety to enjoy.

Kiesten McCauley 

Image: Casie Workman

Subscribe to our E-Newsletter, buy our latest print edition or find a Performing Arts book at Book Nook.