OBSERVER: Con Courtis’s Joke Protocol
A master of technology, pre-recordings and taping of audience’s responses with incredible sound effects is Con Coutis’s Joke Protocol performance at Paul’s Place, Melbourne Town Hall as part of the MICF.
His performance would have to rank amongst the top tier of the many comedy offerings in the MICF stable, with nonstop physical mobility, rapid dialogue supported by a sound board and lighting sequences to some 800 cues.
Starting with an extreme pulsating beat musical clip, such that you would expect as an intro to an 80’s spy movie with Con Coutis springing onto the stage and straight into, “I’m half secret agent and half comedian”. He tells us that he must stop Quibbi – a mega streaming service from using its power to dominate the world by comedy, capturing the world’s best jokes.
However he needs act quickly but at the same time create some of his own.
This he does with quick fire action, using mime and reactive sound effects as he fought off several guards. We could feel the punches with well timed “whack” sound effect.
There was a lot more to his secret agent persona as he took us on a local ride of life’s happenings, one being with Dymocks Book Store where he queried the selling of a note book, with no print, just blank pages at $20, while Bert Newton’s voluminous memoir was selling at $10.
He specially penned a song about the President and while not naming him, he sang several verses which were obliterated from smashing glass and utensils – so Con’s words were not heard – an act of censorship. His Elvis, suffering from hay fever impressions left us no doubt as to who it was.
Even a visit to “Melbourne’s biggest shopping centre, Chadstone to store 47 didn’t escape his repertoire of jokes.
With audience participation, multiple transitions of lighting, great interaction with the voice overs, Con’s flexibility of body coupled with remarkable facial expressions, gave us a complete performance for a full hour. Not to be missed.
Until April 19 at Melbourne Town Hall, Paul’s Place.
comedyfestival. com.au
Reviewed by Graeme McCoubrie