There’s nothing like seeing a show in the Melbourne Town Hall. Not only is it the home base for The Melbourne International Comedy Festival, but there’s a certain excitement that runs through the air in the main hall for shows such as Arj Barker – Organic. The American comedian is no stranger to Australia and especially not to Melbourne. You can tell he is familiar with the stage despite admitting he was a little nervous.
Arj only does short introductions with the crowd before he gets straight into his comedy. Some might find this boring but I find it smart. There are so many comedians these days that single out members of the crowd, making jokes at their expense to win the audience over in the first few minutes of the show. Arj is not one of these comedians. In fact, when he does making jokes at audience members’ expense, he thanks them kindly for adding to the performance and shows his gratitude by giving them his latest promotional material.
The show’s title Organic describes his performance well. Arj is not extremely animated or over-the-top. You watch him pacing the stage like a normal person. He speaks in his natural voice (unless depicting another character in his story). He even sometimes prematurely laughs at his own jokes before they reach their peak. That’s organic, raw and real, being in the moment.
Topics of politics, health fads, and murder were all part of Arj’s comedy. But there was no better way to create echoes of laughter in the Melbourne Town Hall then by talking about the ironic comparisons between Vegas and Bris-Vegas. Melburnians are proud of their city and whilst it was dark in the Town Hall you could sense there was not one person without a smile on their face, Arj included.
Arj’s numerous best moments included his microphone theatrics. His ability to create risky humour relies in his interaction of the crowd. His constructive comedy builds the jokes to a crescendo, then twists them around, turning them onto the audience.
Organic is a show to be seen.
-Lauren
Lauren R. is a yoga instructor, freelance writer, and addicted to trying any new experience outside of the square.
Arj Barker – Organic runs 31March–23 April 2017, 7.30pm (70mins), Tues-Sun Melbourne Town Hall – Main Hall. Buy tickets now.
The venue is accessible.
Read The Plus Ones’ guide to MICF 2017, and visit often to see all our reviews.
