Melbourne comedy festival review by Steve Bennett

It could certainly be seen as slightly pretentious to appropriate the title of an obscure play for your comedy festival show. John Patrick Shanley’s 1986 off-Broadway original was not even that well-received, with one reviewer renaming it Artist Examines His Navel.

Similar criticism could be levelled at Joseph Green’s solipsistic offering, which sticks so doggedly to the ‘write what you know’ mantra that it becomes something of an in-joke, with routines about how expensive it is to hire his venue, quips about freeloading with an artist’s pass, and a cornerstone segment about his girlfriend - also a comedian – being pursued by another man. Also, guess what, another comedian!

There’s some frisson from the fact that Green is calling out the more famous stand-up here, but it’s an odd story, as so much of the underlying issues remain unexamined, leaving it glib and unsatisfying. [We understand that since this review first appeared this section has now been dropped]

Green’s an engaging presence - good-looking, charismatic, assured – and with all the tools to deliver a good story. He effectively recreates scenes from dealing with angry customers in the suit shop where he used to work, to the unlikely story of how the sex abuse claims about Cardinal George Pell helped him escape a driving ban.

These first-hand anecdotes are entertaining – especially his best bit, describing the reaction of his mother (who was in the room tonight) on hearing about anal beads – if not always of much consequence. Meanwhile, routines that look outwards tend to be dumbed down, such as reducing Swan Lake to be a story of bestiality. There’a lot of irony and the odd meta-joke, which heightens the feeling he’s detached from what he’s talking about.

So marks for performance and presence, but not so much for material from a man possibly spending too long with other comedians, giving him an outlook too rooted in a world of little relevance to real punters.

Review date: 1 Apr 2018
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Melbourne International Comedy Festival