A TV series regular in Loot, Joel Kim Booster, kicked off the night with a burst of high energy that set the tone for the evening. He instantly connected with the audience through his relatable anecdotes about navigating Melbourne as a gay man while being confronted by a group of questionable teens on the city’s Lime scooters.
COMEDY FESTIVAL GIVEAWAY: Chloe Petts ‘If You Can’t Say Anything Nice’ – ENTRIES CLOSE 4PM 17 APRIL.
At times he inserted small doses of anxiety into the sold-out room with material and topics ranging from his confession of being a “race traitor” because he’s an Asian dating a white guy, to his top three hated animals (yes, including koalas!). With hyper sexually-inclined jokes that could have gone in any direction, Booster’s performance was a roller-coaster of laughs.
As he passed the baton to the star of the Amazon special Hijabs Off, Zainab Johnson, the audience was primed for more laughter. Johnson began her gig recounting an encounter with an audacious ‘un-housed’ man on Elizabeth Street who strongly suggested they go on a date. But it’s the date she scored on the exclusive dating app, Raya that left her wanting to use her gun while being deployed on a dating mission.
In a hilarious twist, Johnson shared some bougie lessons about the joys (or trickery) of having a “pot filler” (a wall-mounted tap installed above the stove to add a convenient water source where you need it) drawing laughter and applause from the audience, including white sisters in the room.
Read: Comedy review: Mel Buttle, Not Here To Put Socks On Centipedes, Town Hall, MICF 2024
Whether delivering an out-there experience or a good belly laugh, Booster and Johnson proved to be two unmissable comedic powerhouses.
Tickets: $30-$38
Headliners with Joel Kim Booster and Zainab Johnson in the Supper Room of the Town Hall as part of Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF 2024).
