Class Comedians: Comedy Festival Review

The Class Comedians: Comedy Festival Review

It can’t be easy.

Being young, a bit precocious, and a bit of a loud mouth who thinks they are funny.

Yep, just your average teenager. But thanks to the Class Comedians initiative, these wannabe comics get to undergo training (and potentially counselling) from those in the know of treading the boards.

So the 2013 show sees six acts tread the boards, all consumed with the possibility that they could be on their way to big things.

MC Ravi, with his suit, grin and swagger is all nervous energy before launching into a piece about whether anyone has friends. His energy catches the audience off guard and despite dwelling on calculus, Ravi takes in the Irish accent as well. While some of his moments may be a little off, he’s certainly a competent MC.

Head boy at Long Bay College, Brad, who believes he was screwed over by poverty certainly garners and commands a confidence which is beyond his years. Replete with a gag on TapeFace, his send off with his “I’ve been Brad – and you’ve been adequate” shows a star potentially in the making.

Kate Fitzgibbon is next up and continues the trend of confident youngsters. Taking in a lot of the current youthful obsessions of selfies, being a Catholic school girl and racism, she’s got real potential as well with an eye for an off hand one liner and a clever grasp of comic timing.

Mily follows next – clad in an all over green lycra suit. Sure, it gets the visual interest going, but appears to have no direct point or pay off, other than to demonstrate how awkward her young life was. But then, her set lapses into some clever riffing on dancing and elevators, and takes you to unexpected places.

Suvi, the James Bindlah of the South African and Indian world proves to be a confident eye opener as well. With some well placed observations about dating and wingmen, he’s got enough nous to ensure that his future lies in this game too.

Final act is Dan, a surly and sulky type, whose tendency to drag people up on stage for a piece, doesn’t quite work as well as he’d be hoping, but his story telling does impress – even if the eventual punchline doesn’t quite hit the target as well as expected.

Overall, the Class Comedians show there’s a healthy bunch around for the future – and given that tastes change so quickly, you’d be smart to catch a glimpse of these graduates. They’re clearly marked for success and will, hopefully be around for a long time to come.