my thoughts on: criticism

i myself have only got around to immersing myself if the festival in the last few days (and it ends on Sunday!). in that time i have seen amongst others two shows which i particularly enjoyed; they were deanne smith's about freakin' time and eddie perfect's misanthropology. as you would know deanne has been nominated for the Barry and is playing a quite small, poorly ventilated room in the basement of the vic hotel. i felt her show suffered from the critical acclaim (and her nomination) as the audience was (much) older than I and, i think, she expected. they were not prepared for the profanity/confrontational element to the show disguised, as it was, by the quirky/cutesie delivery. of course these comedic devices are the currency in which the performers trade. and hardened festival veterans are accustomed to such subject matter. the problem with a particularly favourable review is that it attracts a crowd who otherwise would not consider or even know of the existence of the show reviewed. it's the curse of popularity; as the number of people who know you increases, so too does the number who don't like you.

eddie acknowledged this also at the spiegeltent noting this was his first show since the success of offspring on channel ten and informing his newfound audience upon the conclusion of the musical number "daddy's tits" that he had always been this obscene, he "had to tone it back for television." the comedy festival is a strange beast or for the last decade, at least in my recollection, a stridently independent and creative one. in that time it has never embraced traditional forms. and it has been a wild ride.

daniel kitson, whom i have seen every year since his debut in 2002, finally won the Barry in 2007(ish?) for "its the fireworks talking." of course, he should have won is '03 for "something" (the show had won the perrier in edinburgh the year before). and 06 for "weltanschauung." he has, since his profile has risen, endeavoured to shun popularity/the mainstream. his sold out run of a 10pm theatre piece at the arts centre this year may act as commentary on the success or otherwise of his approach.

the herald sun is a populist, tabloid paper. they don't get it. and, understandably, as the media sponsor of the festival they struggled to appreciate and embrace the tenor and unpredictable nature of it. unfortunately for them, there is no other city in australia that could hold such an event. it is intrinsically and undeniably a melbourne institution. how the herald sun would wish it could say the same of itself.