Mix equally big dollops of music and comedy with a splash of improv and mime, you get A Musical Comedy Show. Produced by Jules Daniel and hosted at Ivy Bar, this is a show filled with smart, confident people making you giggle. What’s not to like?  

Daniel’s energy is laid back and slightly anxious, which is unusual for an MC. Nevertheless, I think it works in A Musical Comedy Show, as each of the acts are confident and boisterous with a commanding stage presence. It’s actually nice, as an audience, to be relieved of exhaustingly maintained continuous hype for the whole show.

Daniel is also our sacrificial first act as he sings a song written a few years ago but is sadly still relevant. It’s centred around Christmas time and how much of a terrible year it’s been: ‘Fuck off Christmas, bring back Hallowe’en’. It’s a potentially depressing way to start the show, but Daniel moves on to warming us up by getting us to laugh “ha-ha” when he gestures to us. This simple tool works (who says things have to be complicated?) and we are ready for the first act.

For some people, Maxwell Apse is famous for their Ashley Bloomfield song, which was so popular, even the Prime Minister rang up a radio station and requested it. Of course Apse sings this song and it is well received (naturally) but I am most impressed by their first song, a Disney-esque ditty to curb the rise of fascism. It’s clear from the lyrics Apse is incredibly clever, using wordplay, contradictions, and generally singing about a quite a serious issue in a jovial way. I relax.

Yes, just for one night let’s make fun of fascism instead of being perpetually anxious about it’s increasing popularity in the world. For this, I genuinely thank Apse. They are a natural on stage, exuberating effortless confidence, which also allows me to be completely enveloped into their set.

Next Daniel mentions he’s led us here under false pretences, but will let the next act explain. Bethany Miller runs on set, full of manic enthusiasm, and tells us she must write a whole musical for uni tomorrow, and will we help her with it? Slowly, the audience realises this will require some verbal participation, and we do but reluctantly. I personally could have done without this framework which I only play along with and don’t really believe. The simple concept of forcing Miller to sing songs about whatever we concoct is far more immediately engaging to me (who says things have to be complicated?).

Miller ends up singing a song about a diplodocus called T-Rex whose skull got mixed up and who eventually finds solace in being able to eat their cake and potentially reincarn-cake as the meteor arrives. Daniel patiently gives Miller a ukulele melody to sing a long to and offers wise suggestions every now and then.

In a break from the singing, we have Booth the Clown. I’ve seen Booth perform in other shows and have always thoroughly enjoyed them. While it’s fair to point out that this show is called A Musical Comedy Show, a mime act does not strictly fit the bill, yet I do not mind. Call it my soft spot for Booth, but I enjoy the break from singing and watching some clown comedy.

Booth has just had a shower and has a dilemma of wanting to get dressed but not being able to move away from the warmth, as the music switches from smooth jazz to a windy tundra soundscape anytime they leave the heater. There’s some fun body humour which I won’t spoil but truly is wonderous, and Booth gives an audience member a selfie stick with a set of big lips on the end, the better to kiss areas of their body which have been burnt, either accidentally or deliberately, by the heater.

Booth’s expressions, as always, are large and bright, even without any stage make up on, and they engage us instantly. Booth plays with us, the audience, in a fun and inclusive way which is exactly what we want from a clown.

Charlotte Glucina and Kate Hill follow as the duo Big Estrogen Energy. They sing a song about how sexy a man can be and the bar is sadly so low: he can drive, he can reverse, he has a top sheet and a duvet cover, he reads before bed … and the list goes on. The song’s recurring line is “I’m attracted to you for no reason” and it develops from being entirely endearing to problematic. It’s a well-crafted song which is funny and relatable. As a duo they remind me stylistically of Garfunkel and Oats, and I would absolutely love to hear more of their work and see how they develop.

Leo Lennox closes the show and gives us a bit more of a comedy introduction to their song. Again, relatable and confident, Lennox sings us a song about their anxiety (who manifests in an average white guy called Tim) called ‘Everybody Hates You and Wishes You Were Dead’. A sing along love song, they tell us. Lennox cleverly winds us in and then spits us back out it a way I’m not expecting but thoroughly enjoy. Lennox explains that they flit in and out of comedy, an on-again/off-again relationship, but I would love them to be on the on-again side.

A Musical Comedy Show made my cheeks and jaw hurt from smiling and laughing so much. It feels like my soul has been warmed with the talent of these incredible humans. Absolutely go and see this one if you get the chance.

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