Melbourne International Comedy Festival review

Geraldine Quinn’s been presenting comedy festival shows in Melbourne for 20 years. Were there any justice in the world, her dynamite voice, ballsy performances and striking aesthetic would have made her a major cabaret star.

Yet here she remains, slightly on the fringes, in the Motley Bauhaus venue too small for her talent.

Not that she tones down her commitment to delivering a full-on show because of the relatively cosy space. Not only has she written powerhouse songs and created a moodily filmed intimate mockumentary about her artistic struggles, she’s designed an array of boldly bonkers costumes worthy of the quirkiest catwalk show.

Given Bastard Joy is so heavily driven by these striking fashion statements, it’s no wonder one of her songs teases the beige ‘normcore’ brigade. 

Her tracks – all of which have more hooks than a fishing tackle shop –  tend to re-emphasise her points rather than develop them, which means there are plenty of shows at the festival that offer more laughs than this. But none are funny in quite the same way, with Quinn’s emphasis on the big visual gags inherent in her outlandish outfits.

The premise of Bastard Joy is her pondering why she became an artist – and why she has stuck at it with her 50th birthday fast approaching, making plenty of self-aware jokes about the sunk-cost fallacy of throwing good money after bad and her commitment to serving up the artistically creative, despite market forces wanting something simpler.

But performing and creating are in her blood, and she seems clearer in her mind than ever that she has to follow her inspirations ‘whatever the cost’ – Mental as well as financial. For bringing shows into the world brings a joy that outweighs the hardships, and that’s what she’s celebrating so full-throatedly here.