Melbourne International Comedy Festival review

Partly a dumb muckabout, partly a frank-but-funny storytelling show about mental and physical health problems, Greg Larsen’s latest hour is a peculiar beast from a peculiar comedian.

It isn’t always easy to remain on his shifting wavelength, but the comic invention in the silly bits and the ease with which he talks about the more personal issues are appealing – even if a couple of the absurd filmed insets are deliberately obtuse.

The two aspects of the show are linked by a list of recommended activities to combat depression he got from his therapist under a cheesy ‘Back From The Bluez’ headline. Listing some of the suggestions gives the show an anchor when some of the more haphazard sections threaten to become self-indulgent.

Larsen deploys video tricky, a sound board full of silly samples, the occasional prop and skits such as repetitive fake adverts to mix things up, seemingly for his own amusement rather than having any larger part to play. 

Some of these snippets are among the funniest moments of Slurp’s Up!! – a meaningless catchphrase that he likes to drop in as it sounds as if it ought to be a rallying cry for fun times. But others are irritating interruptions, for he’s at his most captivating when he’s telling his true story.

We learn about his cop father, his panic attacks and his suicidal thoughts, how his hypochondria might have been rooted in reality 

and, more frivolously, the trivial ombudsman complaints he likes to bring. He revels in the obsessive pettiness of such an endeavour, perhaps as a respite from the more corrosive thoughts, as he’s disarmingly honest about how his lows might trigger a fast-food binge.

But Slurp’s Up!! isn’t the same frustrated, angry rant against his self-destructive behaviour as last year’s award-nominated show, We All Have Bloody Thoughts. He seems to be in a more settled, if not entirely placid, place, more able to be playful with the peripheral nonsense and showcase his credentials as an inventively silly performer, as well as someone who can make their troubles relatable. Even if the show has its bittiness.

• Greg Larsen: Slurp's Up!! is on at ACMI at 9pm until Saturday then 8pm on Sunday.

Review date: 18 Apr 2023
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Melbourne International Comedy Festival