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Melbourne Comedy Festival Otis Lee Crenshaw Starring:
Venues: Who Weekly Room, Lower Town Hall Dates: March 29 - April 22, 2001
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Listen up, y'all There's
probably no finer performer on the international comedy circuit than American
funny man Rich Hall. Fresh from his Perrier Award win at last year's Edinburgh
Comedy Festival, Hall returned to Australia for the Melbourne International
Comedy Festival as his alter ego, Otis Lee Crenshaw. This show has been around in various incarnations since 1999, but Hall manages to make it seem original and lively all the same. A mix of music, set pieces, stand-up and improvisation, Otis Lee Crenshaw was clearly the most hilarious show I saw at this year's MICF. Good ol' boy Otis is a jailbird from Tennessee. He manages to bring his peculiar talents to the world by the good graces of international prisoner exchange programs. He's also managed to smuggle in a couple of fine Texas musicians to help him out. He asked for help from the audience too; and on this occasion, nearly got more than he bargained for. After seeking the assistance of an audience member in the front row for his opening number, a man sitting nearby raised a gripe. His problem wasn't with the comedy - he was upset because Hall wasn't playing enough keyboards (!). Apparently, this gentleman had forked over his cash to the COMEDY Festival expecting a keyboard recital. >>> |
Otis brought out some old favourites, including Women Call it Stalking ("You can do it in a letter/ you can do it face to face/ or you can do it in phone call that can't be traced").But it was his improvisational work that really distinguished this show from the run-of-the-mill. His banter with the audience, his ability to think on his feet and his razor sharp wit combined to elevate the performance into something special. It's a sign of Hall's ability that, despite what must have been a diffiucult show for him, I left with sides aching from laughing so much.
David Edwards Send us your feedback on this article or anything else in The Blurb |