The magical mayhem of Jarred Fell is comedy influenced by the tradition of geek magic. Lots of gore and decapitation and needles and bloodied animal parts. Completely unaware of this, I took my mum. She liked the bit when the heart started bleeding the best.

For those of you who only read the review to find out if it is funny, I can assure you it is.

Fell’s show incorporates stand-up comedy, magic tricks and geek magic, and discorporates a live dove. Being a Westie, I appreciate the heavy metal music and all the blood and guts.

It’s not for the weak stomached, and some moments are genuinely cringeworthy, even for a hardened horror lover. Kids being what they are, it’s well worth taking them. There’s also plenty of swearing and sex jokes to keep them entertained and all for $18.

The stand up is funny and Jarred’s facial expressions keep the audience laughing. He is at home on the stage, alternately creating awkward moments and breaking them down with a self-conscious style that allows the audience to both laugh with and at him. Though the vehicle through which laughs are obtained is the magic, it is the comedy that makes the show a success.

In keeping with the horror theme is Jarred’s interaction with his on stage assistant, the psychotic Lindsay, who looks like The Joker’s favourite pin up girl fresh from Arkum Asylum. She is practically silent throughout the performance, and comes on stage wearing a full straight jacket.

Lindsay also performs tricks and has a strange and understated presence that works well with the genre. Her intense gaze is deliberately disturbing. More disturbing was my mother whispering ‘Where do I know her from?’

With Lindsay choosing the volunteer, perhaps it wasn’t odd that he was reluctant to tell Jarred his name. Chris/Mark said he was a postie, or a lawyer. To be fair, it was J Day and let’s call him Mark, for the sake of convenience, had definitely partaken. He may have just forgotten who he was and what he did for a living, a fact that Fell made much of.

I wondered if Mark was in fact rehearsed, but as the show went on I came to believe Jarred’s assertion that he was simply stoned off his head. He almost upstaged the comic magician with his inappropriate giggling responses. When it came to the obligatory card trick, Mark put the card in his pocket and made it bend. Not a huge task then to differentiate it from the others.

Despite the difficulty with the volunteer Jarred delivered a polished performance that I wished had lasted longer. He could splash the blood around a little more, though the Limelight Laugh Lounge may disagree with me there. Fell is genuinely funny, even when grossing out the audience. Let’s face it, if someone tripping over is funny, self harm is side-splitting.
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