Jordan Raskopoulos: The Fool
★★★★★
In true Festival style, it was a mad dash from one end of the city to the other to catch Jordan Raskopoulos’ The Fool. Having waited for years to see this comic live, I nearly broke a heel and arrived with only seconds to spare, completely out of breath, but it was certainly worth it.
Raskopoulos has a certain rueful comedic style that may leave some people cold, but if you like your humour on the very precipice of what is acceptable, then this show is for you.
Utilising a mix of poptastic musical numbers, rough-as-guts jokes and PowerPoint slides, Raskopoulos proves what all the online hype (and hate) is about.
Her opening scenes dive headfirst into an age-old argument: of how in rock paper scissors, paper should never beat rock. Her explanation is both entirely plausible, but so very stupid at the same time. In the most kind and sincere way, she is a bloody loveable d***head (and national treasure).
About halfway through the show my plus one was concerned that I would choke or simply stop breathing, and it was true. I don’t think I have laughed as hard or for as long as I did throughout The Fool. Nor have I ever thought I’d be writing the words ‘erotic fiction featuring Clive Palmer getting more than a little frisky with a dinosaur’ – but here I am.
In the closing scene Raskopoulos leads her audience in a rousing singalong to a reworked version of Starship’s ‘We Built This City’ rewritten as an ode to her gender transition, with the new chorus being ‘we built this clitty on cock and balls’.
I’ve seen some truly great work this Comedy Festival, but The Fool has nudged its way to the top of my list.
Jordan Raskopoulos’ The Fool was performed at the Greek Centre from 11-16 April 2023 at as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Scout Boxall: Turbo Lover
★★★ 1/2
Scout Boxall’s Turbo Lover was, in the best way possible, an endearing chaotic mess – charming and just a little rough around the edges.
Though the performance mostly centres on Boxall’s takeaway messages on love and how this plays out as a non-binary bisexual, it was actually most successful when leaning into religious territories.
On the night this reviewer attended, Scout elicited the most laughs and came across as most engaging when they slipped into their Christian pastor character, but aside from this, a whole swatch of other subjects were touched upon.
There were some mishaps going on behind the scenes – a more seasoned performer would have easily either hidden or ridden these issues.
Turbo Lover is perhaps not as polished as other performances I have seen at this Comedy Festival and it could have done with trimming 10 minutes from its runtime. But all together it’s an entertaining hour of comedy.
As a young comic, Boxhall’s star is certainly just on the rise and they have continued to collect awards. However, sometimes the greatest of hype can lead to disappointment. Aside from being an endearing mess, this show hasn’t stayed with me in ways that other shows have.
Scout Boxhall: Turbo Lover is playing at the Melbourne Town Hall until 23 April 2023 at as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Tickets: $22-$30
