Great to reconnect with Sydney
Friday - 20th of August 2010
For the last couple of weeks I have been performing around the club scene of Sydney.
It had been 3 years since my last trip there so it was very satisfying to really reconnect with all of the promoters over there.
I did 8 nights of MCing and Headlining at the Laugh Garage, the Friend in Hand in Glebe and the rooms run by Star 100 and A-List.
The performing went very well, the standout nights being the Friday and Saturday at the Laugh Garage (my first look at the city venue, and without doubt one of the best rooms for comedy in the country - it just cooks!) alongside Gary Eck (co-writer and director of Happy Feet 2, and a thoroughly professional comedian whose ability outweighs his mainstream profile) and MCing at the seriously savvy Kings Cross venue The Sugar Mill mid-week alongside Chris Wainhouse and Sam Bowring, both classy east coast standup comedians any MC would love to present to a crowd.
This trip produced new jokes too which is always great and I came back very fresh, having enjoyed several weights sessions at the impressive UNSW gym facility, a great coffee and writing session at Coca Cabana on Oxford St, and the generous hospitality of Sudanese-Australian stand up comedian Mujahid Ahmed (aka ‘my man Muj’).
I definitely improved as a stand up across the run and I look forward to heading back to Sydney in December after I’ve crossed a few more cities off the list!
Celebrating Adelaide Comedy’s 10th Birthday at The Marion!
Thursday - 15th of July 2010
Earlier tonight I was lucky enough to be in the line up amongst some of Adelaide’s ‘old school crew’ for the Marion Hotel leg of Adelaide Comedy’s 10th birthday celebrations.
I had a fun little spot up the top of the show and really enjoyed the amazing performing skills of Dave Williams, watching Rich Naberhood do a great job, Kehau Jackson and her new joke about ‘faggot penguins’ (that description won’t make any sense but just wait till you hear the joke), Big Al light up the room with an infectuousness that only he brings, and the awesome, charismatic and twisted Mickey D cap the night off beautifully with his feature spot.
Craig Egan has done an awesome job of creating such a vibrant scene here in Adelaide and I’m sure the people who came along tonight to the Marion and caught a glimpse of just how talented our locally grown comics are will vouch that things are only on the up for Adelaide Comedy from here.
Check out Rhino Room on Frome St this thurs and fr if you haven’t already got a chance to catch one of the birthday shows.
New Green Mazda 2!!!
Friday - 11th of June 2010
Life is progressing!
I just purchased an awesome new ‘tree frog green’ Mazda 2 and will be getting my logo across it within the next couple of days!
The model of car is really eye catching and the logo’ing should make it a great business asset.
Who would have thought sitting on the bonnet of my ‘86 Corolla Seca at 2am outside of Gumeracha a few months ago after the engine blew up that the opportunity to buy this would come along so quickly!
Supporting Hollywood’s Tom Green at the Festival Theatre
Friday - 9th of April 2010
Out of the blue I was contacted to open the show for Tom Green (think Road Trip, Freddy Got Fingered) in the two Adelaide performances of his current world standup tour, each in front of 600-strong sold out crowds at the majestic Festival Theatre’s Dunstan Playhouse. Earlier tonight was the first of the two shows and it was certainly an interesting experience. Think walking out to a crowd of blokes who look like they spend a lot of time complimenting watching Tom’s movies with smoking weed, along for a night out with their girlfriends, all going crazy when the stage lights came up for the first time before collectively thinking “who the f**k is this?” as I walk out to open the show. One guy actually did yell that out (to a handful of claps) and it was only when I replied “I’m the guy in the background in Road Trip - who the f**k are you?” and that was greeted with an overwhelming round of applause that I thought “they may not actually hate me for occupying 15 minutes of their pre-Tom existences”. From there it became clear straght up that the night was going to go off as the audience quickly stepped into gear and the majority of my material and interaction was enthusiastically received. I had a great time interacting with the crowd (a couple of stoners in the front, a guy with the most fertilised troll-doll hair I’ve ever seen, a bloke who looked like the non-Keanu Reeves guy out of Bill and Ted’s excellent adventure who didn’t become famous) and I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it felt to do so and how effective it was in engaging the crowd given that the size of the room and the audience was much greater than what I perform in the majority of the time. I’m going to reflect on things a bit tonight and look to tweak my approach a little now that I have a feel for the room, come back tomorrow night to a fresh set of confused stares and see if I can’t then take that audience somewhere pleasantly unexpected for a few minutes too. Side note too - Tom Green is a lovely, genuine dude.
Very satisfied with Adelaide Fringe 2010
Thursday - 18th of March 2010
Whilst I haven’t fully reflected on it yet, I know Adelaide Fringe 2010 was a genuine success.
The attendances were great (an average of 52 people across 15 nights), the reviews were really positive (Advertiser and Adelaide Theater Guide listed below), the responses consistently reflected healthy appreciation, Sugar as a venue was intimate and the staff were overwhelmingly supportive, and at the essence of it all I just really enjoyed presenting the content in this show.
I feel every time you come out of an intense personal experience like the Fringe, which always requires every bit of your resourcefulness, you become more attuned to your strengths and weaknesses, more clear on your direction and just more conscious about yourself as a performer, person and professional entity in general. This has been no exception and whilst I don’t know exactly what the next step is for me, I feel there is a distinct opportunity present here to capitalize on the momentum this Fringe has generated and progress with what I do and have to offer.
Of huge importance here is acknowledging the phenomenal support I received throughout the Fringe, which all contributed magically to the way it unfolded. Sean and Kate Heylen of Deadline Media (http://www.deadline.net.au) were hugely generous in their sponsorship of all of my promotional material, including one very massive (and unexpected) eye catching sign outside Sugar on Rundle St. Sugar proved a chilled, funky and intimate venue for live comedy and my sincere thanks go out to Ben, Driller, Keiran, Steve, Loanne, Marg, Claire, Andrew and Sarah for their support. The boys from the Woodville Basketball club deserve some big props too for their help spreading the word about my show through their own personal networks. That really helped me get the awareness of my show out to far more people in my demographic and definitely contributed to the consistently energetic vibe of my crowds right throughout the Fringe - I look forward to being able to reciprocate with some sponsorship of the club this season. My thanks also go to Radhika, or ‘Rads’, my Indian housemate who volunteered three weeks of her time and energy to helping me make sure that each and every show ran smoothly from an operational point of view. I’m truly blessed to have had her move in and I might even wait a bit longer now to increase her rent. Jokes people, jokes. Thanks also to every one of you who came out to check out where I’m at and what I’m talking about at this point in my life, in what was now my third solo Fringe show. I was blown away by the turnouts that seemed to effortlessly flow through the door and also the vibe that people consistently came with.
I thoroughly valued the experience that each and every night of Fringe ‘10 brought and I really look forward to upping my output and presenting a fresh new show for you all in 2011.
Early reviews of Just Say It - my 2010 Adelaide Fringe Show
Friday - 26th of February 2010
Four publications reviewed the first official night of my 2010 Adelaide Fringe Show ‘Just Say It’ - talk about pressure people!!!
As it turned out, I felt the show on this particular night was solid - not one of my best 5 or 6 performances of the Fringe - but nonetheless not a bad night to get reviewed on.
The Adelaide Theatre Review and The Advertiser have already released their reviews.
Check them out below!
JUST SAY IT
Ben Darsow
Sugar
Until 13 Mar 2010
Reviewed by Tony Busch
Ben Darsow is indeed a funny bugger. You almost don’t realise how funny until he’s finished and you
suddenly feel your face aching from having grinned non-stop for an hour. His is the sort of humour that
keeps you saying to yourself “Oh yes, I know, I know…”
He has a rapid-fire delivery and very quickly develops a strong rapport with his audience, eliciting some
unexpected responses upon which he pounces like a raptor.
His material covers everything from dating in Adelaide, to fame versus talent, to how to get rid of a
hard-on. There’s even a video segment, which is perhaps the least successful part of the hour, only
because it removes the intimacy of his delivery.
If you in the mood for some fun get along to Sugar and catch Ben.
Rating: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
Ben Darsow - Just Say It
Tristan Willes From: AdelaideNow
ADELAIDE’S own Ben Darsow brings his brand of clever humour to a cosy Rundle St venue where a feeling of familiarity is immediate.
Although the show tends to stray from it at times, the central theme is speaking your mind.
Darsow relates the many experiences he has had with people speaking their mind, of the fine line between fame and talent, and hilarious scenarios which make you cringe, grin or a bit of both.
The 28-year-old’s cheerful demeanor on stage is broken only by a short video segment, which nonetheless carries the theme quite well.
Darsow is willing to put himself in his audience’s shoes - or vice versa. If you’re reading, Mitch and Rosie, thank you for playing along.
Sugar, until March 13
3.5 stars (out of 5)
Happy with the Fringe preview of Just Say It
Saturday - 30th of January 2010
Craig Egan was kind enough to give me a really valuable chance to preview my upcoming Adelaide Fringe show ‘Just say It’ at Rhino Room last night, Friday Jan 29.
The ensemble show ‘Taking the Piss’, made up of several of Adelaide’s newer comics, did a great job entertaining the friendly crowd of about 40 in the first half of the show. Steve Sheehan then was hilarious too in his little 5 minute guest spot to open up the second half - what a crazy guy and what hilariously odd ball comedy. Look to check out each of those shows this Fringe.
Having been absolutely consumed lately by the behind-the-scenes application involved in getting prepared for Fringe, actually getting a chance to get up on stage and just have fun presenting my show was a welcome relief. The content was received really well, the show structure seems to flow, a few newer thoughts had legs, and my recently created ‘Just Say It DVD’ was a hit on it’s maiden voyage, always a relief as things never seem funny when you are filming.
The show hit the required length that I need it to be which also gave me a great comforting feeling. It’s always amazing just how much longer things go for in front of a live crowd - this show goes for 35 minutes including multimedia when I rehearse it at home but will clearly have no problem hitting the 50 mark each night with an audience. Of course it always helps though when your crowd is a gold mine of arts students, people from Pinaroo and couples ‘just hanging out’ - the show just writes itself when you land that kind of front row.
With that out the way, and with a very unfamiliar feeling of actually being prepared and on schedule for once (disconcerting in its own right), all I really need to do now is promote the heck out of my show for the next 3 weeks and make sure I perform to as many people as I can across my 14 shows throughout the Fringe.
Spread the word for me Adelaide - this is going to be a great show and an awesome Fringe.
Remembering Dave Grant - an outstanding comedian and person
Saturday - 30th of January 2010
Earlier this month, the Australian comedy community lost true legend Dave Grant to his battle with cancer.
One of my earliest memories of Dave was performing with him one of my first trips to Melbourne at the Last Laugh Comedy Club on Collins St. I was a relative newby to the national circuit at that stage and Dave was headliner for the night. I struggled with my rhythm the whole set, then watched in total appreciation as Dave went up and just torched the night.
Far from ignoring my work or dismissing me as just some kid having a crack, Dave (who by the way had offered to hold the camera and video my set for me that night, when he could well have been excused for wanting his own time to prepare) sat down afterwards and had a really open chat with me about what he liked about my work and also what he thought could be improved. He then proceeded to give me a lift across town to where I was staying, even though it was in the opposite direction to where he was headed.
I remember just sitting there next to him that car ride - this guy in outstanding healthy shape, rocking a thick leather jacket, crusing along in a shit hot car, having just rocked 300 people for 40 minutes solid, making a great living off his talents - and thinking “this guy is officially THE BUSINESS”. What a role model for how to perform, how to carry yourself in a professional sense and how to be a great person.
I didn’t contact Dave during the time he was unwell prior to his passing as i didn’t know if it would be appropriate to call but I hope he realises just how much he was appreciated.
Dave Grant was an outstanding guy and a comic that you would put your house on to smash a gig.
He will be long remembered by a lot of people who loved, respected and appreciated both him and his work.
Welcome to 2010!
Wednesday - 13th of January 2010
Alright…first gig back for 2010 and we are back MCing at the Marion hotel where my 2009 wrapped up.
After feeling the pre-show nerves of not having performed for a couple of weeks over the Christmas break, I settled into this gig quickly and really enjoyed interacting with and warming up the crowd. It is truly funny how quickly after a break in performing that you feel like you can’t remember how to do your job, but then also how quickly once you are back up on stage it all comes flooding back!
Feature act Gordon Southern did a great job headlining the night and support acts The Nelson Twins and newcomer Deb Bland were also really well received.
I got a lot out of getting back into the swing of things tonight and also trialling a few new thoughts for my upcoming Fringe show, Just Say It, which premiers mid February this year.
Here’s hoping for lots more great nights at the Marion Hotel this year, a room that Craig Egan does a great job getting a friendly regular crowd to. .
Wrapping up 2009 in style
Tuesday - 5th of January 2010
2009 wrapped up with a couple of very fun shows.
The first of note involved featuring at Michelle Stanton’s Zone Breakfast at Cafe Vagabondo in front of 120 people from South Australia’s business community at 7.30 in the morning. I am not normally in my prime at this time of the day and I have certainly never had to be switched on in a comedic sense either, so this definitely presented a new challenge for me! 10 seconds into the set though it was totally apparent that people were there to laugh and enjoy the start to their day. I was able to relax into this one very quickly and just enjoy the experience of feeling on the same page as everyone else - only with a mic in my hand! The appreciative, open minded crowd were a joy to perform to and the feedback and range of opportunities that have sprung up as a result of the show have been tremendously encouraging for me as I take my performing beyond the basic comedy club scene into the corporate world.
The second performance of note was featuring alongside Tom Gleeson at the final Marion Hotel gig for 2009. With 200 people packed in, we all got a chance to see just how good this venue can be when well attended. The night went off from start to finish and I really enjoyed performing 15 minutes of content that will be in my upcoming Fringe show, Just Say It, to a large, energetic crowd. I’m really happy with the quality of the material I am presenting at the moment and I just need to focus on continuing to create more of it on more subjects. Watching Tom feature after the break was then an absolute privilege, as I’m sure every one of the crowd would agree. Tom has a magic balance of self effacement, cockiness, playfulness, nerdiness and coolness, mixed in with being just thoroughly professional. He is a headline act who genuinely continues to improve and expand his skills range and is a shining example of how sharp you can get when you combine natural funiness and talent with significant off stage application and lots of travel and live performing.
