Melbourne International Comedy Festival

GP the Musical had an interesting concept. What if 11 GPs from across the country, with interests in the performing arts, came together and made a musical about the subject they know best; being a GP? With rehearsals via Skype, writing partners more than 1600kms apart, and an opening run in Daylesford (in an almost Off-Broadway style) before coming to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, I was cautiously excited as the lights dimmed, my adrenal glands functioning correctly.

Celebrating the humour, the pathos and the colourful characters that inhabit doctors’ surgeries, GP the Musical takes a typical day in general practice and injects it with music and fun.

As I pull up to Melbourne's Imperial Hotel, and my gaze falls upon a cluster of ladies dressed in a collection of not-so-modern fashions, I know I'm in the right place. Again the Imperial is the setting for a Bare Elements MICF production (having hosted their last performance, A Dinner to Die For), but tonight we're all heading back to the 80s in The Time Machine.

From the moment that audience members were handed nametags on their way in, I knew this show would be out of the ordinary. Rich Fulcher, known best for his work in the eccentric comedy show The Mighty Boosh, is the master of the non-sequitur and the quick change, snapping from laughter at his own jokes to a stone-cold emotionless exterior, prompting further laughter from the audience.

Rich Fulcher (The Mighty Boosh and Snuff Box) demonstrates how to stick it to The Man.

There is no doubt rising local star Josh Earl is a triple threat.

The second last week of the comedy festival (thus far failing to disappoint) saw me in the third row at Jason English’s latest show Pop Rocketeer.

The stage is an incredibly frightening place. Humans instinctively react to being the centre of attention – the heart pounds, blood rushes to the extremities, and senses are heightened. Why do performers then take to the stage?

Returning to Melbourne for ONE NIGHT ONLY! See the show that was nominated for Best Comedy at every major comedy festival across Australia in 2012.

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is certainly not short on variety. With myriad venues, a plethora of performers, and countless demographics, the MICF definitely has something for everybody. Lisa Skye is an incredibly talented performer, full of original ideas and creative storytelling, but she will not be for everyone.