The Anarchist’s Guild Social Committee
If I were to tell you that The Anarchist’s Guild Social Committee remind me of a bunch of muppets, I would mean it only as the most sincere praise. Indeed, there is something very reminiscent of The Muppet Show in the way that the cast will often break character to squabble amongst themselves over the best name for the show, or who is the real host. The awkwardly-named night of comedy, which in less than three months has already established itself as one of the city’s best regular nights of funny, is host Nick Caddaye’s monthly gathering of Melbourne’s most skilled young comedians. If you haven’t heard of Andrew McClelland, Tegan Higginbotham, Dave Bushell, Celia Pacquola, Richard McKenzie, Courteney Hocking or Ben McKenzie don’t worry- I have, and I can assure you that any one of them would be well worth paying $15 to see perform- that you can see them all for that price is something of a minor miracle.
The sketches come thick and fast, and for every gag that does not hit home with the audience there are half a dozen that do- the audience was kept well entertained at August’s show, with recurring characters such as Don Bosco, the mafia boss who wants to get his fingers into the most unlikely of pies, and fresh concepts like the psychic call centre, where colleagues predict one another’s unlikely demise. The live sketch pieces are crosscut seamlessly with video clips and the slick audio-visuals are often used to complement the on-stage action to great effect.
As if it were not enough to see eight great comedians performing fresh comedy every month, the guild sweetens the pot by having two guests performances at each gathering. The Hounds, fresh from winning accolades at comedy fest, seem to have set themselves up as regular guest performers, and their inimitable brand of meta-comedy meshes nicely with the rest of the other anarchists. In addition to this reliable trio there has been a different stand-up performer doing a short set in-between the two halves of the show. Some audience members found this change of pace jarring but I thought it was a refreshing way to break the show up and keep it varied.
If one had to dredge up a downside, the comedy did seem cliquey at times. There’s nothing inherently wrong with in-jokes when used sparsely, but if entire sketches hinge on them it can quickly alienate newcomers and ghettoize the show to dedicated fans only. However this is minor complaint and rarely gets in the way of having a good time- this is one entertaining evening that comes enthusiastically recommended.
The Anarchist’s Guild Social Committee has its fourth show this Sunday, September 21st, at 5.30pm, Trades Hall. The guests performers this month are Set List and Felicity Ward.