Melbourne International Comedy Festival review by Steve Bennett

Mischief-maker Brendon Walsh rebels against conformity – and indeed maturity – through the medium of pranks. Although Bearded, Juvenile contains some more conventional elements of stand-up it is the capers which set this jocular American comic apart.

Sometimes the japes are creative and inspired, such as forcing a baker to ice increasingly inappropriate messages on to birthday cakes – even if this appear to be a hypothetical stunt. Writing sardonic letters to vast multinationals about the quality of their sticky tape to alleviate the boredom of a dead-end job has more of a ring of truth, even though it’s not much different from what the fictional Henry Root was doing back in the 1970s. But we have PowerPoint now, and Walsh has a slide show to demonstrate the more visual of his efforts as comedy’s answer to Banksy. Generally there’s no purpose to these other a little gentle subversion.

Despite being 40, the practical jokes spill into his real life, too, as he tells of how he and his friend are perpetually winding each other up, to the eye-rolling bemusement of his pal’s long-suffering wife. They behave like overgrown teenagers, with an immaturity that seeps through the show, too, lending it a carefree air, but sometimes an asinine one, too.

And as one mischievous escapade follows another, the tone varies little. What was perfect in 20-minute set at the Headliners line-up show at this festival last year, seems stretched over an hour.

For some variety, the stories of his japes are prefaced by stand-up which starts slow, with a ‘what’s the deal with smoking?’ bit, but quickly moves into quirkier territory with his suggestions for words that ought to exist, or even buying fruit at the supermarket. The delivery is always relaxed and slightly cheeky, well-balanced with the content which, even at its most rascally, never seeks to humiliate a victim, but merely aims to add some humour to situations which have little.

Review date: 7 Apr 2015
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Melbourne International Comedy Festival