Michelides is a funny, funny man who frequently MCs and performs at comedy nights around town. Given a chance to perform a straight hour of material to comedy lovers (as opposed to the cruise patrons he entertains during the off months) he absolutely shines.
‘I’m a sound-effects comic,’ he says petulantly at one point. It’s not quite true (a lot of his joke writing is really top class) but his ability to pull out funny voices (the titular Bad Accents), cracking microphone effects and a very convincing slow-mo do help his cause.
Michelides, thankfully, isn’t trying to impart a Big Lesson, which has become a worrying tendency for comics in recent years. A lot of shows seem to have a bunch of jokes followed by an awkwardly pseudo-relevant earnest proclamation from the performer, where More Jokes would really have been the better option. Thankfully, Michelides travels the latter road, even acknowledging the naffness of overtly sociopolitical comedy with a nicely timed self-deprecating joke. He does manage to cover off the reason for the title of the show in the last stretch, which is a great touch.
There’s an absolutely marvelous bit in there about the horrors of flying Tiger Airways, which Michelides has workshopped around comedy nights over the years and honed into the sort of impossibly funny segment that leaves people crying from laughter.
Bad Accents and Inconsistent Mimes is a classic comedy show – an hour of great jokes that leaves you walking out while still quoting the best bits. It’s delivered by a sharp, cunning comic mind who is doing top-notch work.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Bad Accents and Inconsistent Mimes
Performed by Xavier Michelides
Imperial Hotel
Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Until 12 April
