THE intrepid travelling comedians can’t be confined to Melbourne’s comedy rooms any longer – the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow is back on the road.
Visitors can be part of the fun when it rolls into Port Macquarie with a huge show featuring some of the best from one of the world’s biggest comedy festivals.
After 15 years of traversing the many highways of this wide, brown land, the roadshow is back with another jam-packed tour.
Think Almost Famous, but swap out the musicians for some incredibly funny comedians, replace the US with Australia’s smaller cities and rural towns, add in epic amounts of humour and multiply the amount of group sing-alongs.
Now in its16th year, the roadshow transports fresh-faced and well-known comedians from the fancy theatres of Comedy Festival HQ to Hobart, Hong Kong and every venue in between in the ultimate comedy odyssey.
In 2013 the roadshow enjoyed enormous success, performing more than 109 shows in more than 60 regional towns and cities across Australia, before concluding the tour with a sell-out international leg conquering Singapore, Hong Kong and India.
With a mix of local heroes and international stars as well as the hottest new discoveries of the festival, all comedy bases will be covered.
The Glasshouse roll call for 2014 is Tiffany Stevenson (UK), Harley Breen, Neel Kolhatkar, Rhys Nicholson and Elbow Skin.
Glasshouse performing arts program manager Belinda Gibson said that without a doubt the Melbourne Comedy Festival Roadshow is one of the funniest and best value shows at the Glasshouse every year.
“Tickets are selling fast and I encourage people to get in early to secure their seats,” she said.
“Laugh because you saw it – don’t cry because you missed it.”
The roadshow will be rolling into town on Saturday 21 June with two shows, one at 6pm and a second at 9pm.
Tickets cost $46 for an adult, $35 concession/under 21/student, $40 adult, $30 concession/ under 21/ student.
The show is recommended for people aged over 15 because there is some coarse language.
Book now at the Glasshouse, www. glasshouse.org.au or phone 6581 8888.
Meet Harley Breen
Harley Breen, one of the five stars, has won over a legion of fans with his accessible and relatable comedy.
Consistently unpredictable, Breen’s sets seamlessly move from side-splitting material about the foibles of being a new-age dad to dodgy tales of his beloved old Kingswood, all without missing a beat. A true professional, Breen always leaves the crowd wanting more.
He performed his seventh solo show Some Kind of Something at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival this year to sell-out crowds and many would say that the festival just wouldn’t be the same without him.
This includes his peers who awarded him the Comic’s Choice Award in 2011.
Breen also has a strong background in improvisation and acting.
He enjoys putting his skills to good use in educational programs and he wouldn’t say no to any offers to star in a Hollywood blockbuster either.
His awards include 2010 Spleen Comic of the Year and 2007 Tron Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Fringe.
