Werewolves, hypotheticals and a ’90s boy band: The first comedy festival reviews are in

Soft Tread | Fuccbois: Live in Concert
The Showroom – Arts Centre Melbourne, until April 5

Are f—boys beyond reputational repair? The drag kings in this musical comedy suggest yes. Satirising the notion of the all-male pop troupe, Fuccbois: Live in Concert joins Brendan (Vidya Makan), Brandon (Aria Award winner and show creator Bridie Connell), Tyler (Megan Walshe) and Also Brendan (Clara Harrison) on their final ever show. Adorned in ’90s fashion, they thrust their way through cheesy choreography, while performing infectious original bangers.

Within the familiar challenges that befall boy bands – egos, in-fighting and obsessive fandoms – exists the perfect allegory for modern-day dating. From ghosting to gaslighting, the upbeat pop melodies disguise lyrics that call out men’s bad behaviour.

The show immerses you in a concert experience through moments such as pre-recorded band interviews and singling out audience members for song dedications. Vidya Makan’s a cappella performance of Gaslight Shanty in an Irish accent is impeccable, and Megan Walshe convincingly sends up boy band facial expressions, gestures and poses. Take your situationship before you leave them “on read”.
★★★★
Reviewed by Vyshnavee Wijekumar

Kiran Deol | Assault on Comedy
The Motley Wherehaus, until April 12

Hypothetical situations are fun to talk about until the situation stops being hypothetical. If you’re Kiran Deol, you turn it into a comedy show. Drawing on her actual experience of being assaulted, Deol asks: what would you do if given the power to choose your attacker’s punishment?

Deol shines a light on all the morally ambiguous situations we navigate in our lives, like whether it is okay to make fun of other people if they make fun of you. Or is your friend still a good friend if they only stayed because they were mandated by law? And, if an Indian woman is assaulted, does it necessarily mean it’s racially motivated?

Deol’s assuredness as a performer allows her to drop down into gruesome details and come up to air with a joke. She deftly adds lightness, without ever making light of the assault. It’s a show that asks uncomfortable questions, and encourages us to have a laugh at the answers.
★★★★
Reviewed by Rose Lu

Will Gibb | Confidence is Key
Melbourne Town Hall – Portrait Room, until April 19

If the “Shower Thoughts” subreddit were a person, it would be Will Gibb. His stand-up is best described as a series of observations and questions, like where broccolini – the “hot, Italian version” of broccoli – came from, or how we’d react if he turned into a werewolf and climbed the walls.

It’s the kind of material you’d expect from a comedian best known for their TikToks. It’ll make you laugh, especially if you’re Gen Z and partial to words like “slay”, “tea” and “low-key”. But it lacks a certain narrative cohesion – a theme or throughline that connects each of the jokes. It’s as if you’re swiping through videos in-app – they make you laugh, but with no satisfying punchline, you eventually tire of scrolling.

Where Gibb shines is his crowd work. Whether freestyle rapping about a random guy named Gabriel or flirting with a rich plumber, he always has something unexpected up his sleeve. You can find similar observational humour all over TikTok, but Gibb’s level of crowd interaction? That’s stand-up gold.
★★★
Reviewed by Nell Geraets

The Age is a Melbourne International Comedy Festival partner.

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