By Jennifer Beasley.
Come to the Wedding. Stay for the rapid wit, face aching comedy and a brave statement on human rights.
This wasn’t what I expected.
Firstly, I’ve been reviewing like mad and amongst the 700 odd shows at MICF (I’ve done about fifteen so far) it takes a bit to stand out. When my companion and I arrived to take our seats, a suited Balloch (well, apart from the black tracksuit bottoms) greets us and tells us all how fabulous we look. I graciously agree.
Taking our seats, we realise that Balloch, the MC for the night, is herding us not into a comedy venue but into the’ reception hall’.
‘Come on, hurry, oh darn, the DJ hasn’t arrived yet! Okay, then let’s get onto the speeches while we wait.’
We never get to meet the two grooms, Dave and Tony, however, that isn’t necessary as the ‘speeches’, ten characters that Balloch inhabits as part of this funny, brilliant and moving monologue, paint a well-rounded picture.
Previously a performer at The Bell Theatre Company and The Improv Conspiracy, Balloch has honed his comedic and writing skills with great timing and some intelligent character studies.
From the loutish turn of Dave’s younger cousin, sunglasses on head and Corona beer (with the required lemon in the neck-lovely touch) who spills secrets best not revealed at a wedding reception, to the bigoted statements spewed forth with underlying venom by Aunt Cathy (let’s face it, this IS my ex-MIL), there are strong elements of naked homophobia, all the whilst the MC carries on regardless, crashing blindly through the MC role discussing his and the two grooms sexual forays in Berlin. This naïveté by the MC makes for hilarious irony and adds a depth to this show.
Balloch has the ability to delve deep into emotions and gets you to think. Nuggets of advice given to a Trans male point to the toxic masculinity of male supremacy but so fleeting as not to be heavy.
His male impersonations are his strongest. My companion said to me afterwards that he could have sworn that Balloch aged as the opinionated Great Uncle Pete, with a telling point delivered that when he married his wife she also transitioned from a Miss to a Mrs, her last name changing to someone else’s, and thus transforming. Or the best friend Chris, awkward and childish, with perhaps underlying feelings for Dave.
I can forgive the female characterisations of Chloe and the sister-in-law, which felt too stereotyped to me, and I felt there wasn’t enough given to them to feel like real people. I often find this when men play/write women. For some reason, unless cast as a villain, women come off as paper cutouts. However, the sub themes of crass homophobia hit their mark, while still providing plenty of laughs.
But wait. There’s more. Like a proverbial wedding steak knife to the back Balloch layers this well written work with the theme that friendships are our family, regardless of sexuality. Then takes a right turn with a plot twist that I didn’t see coming. Introducing Rocky, father of groom Tony, Balloch pauses. Little touches mean a lot here, such as the time he takes to button up the waistcoat. The stoop of the shoulders. A near-sighted peer at the audience. Then a heart-felt speech delivered with true emotion and the plea that equality is for all, gay, trans or straight.
The running gag on the loan that the MC owes the grooms is a perfect thread that runs seamlessly to stitch this 60-minute performance together.
Balloch has great potential as a playwright for longer pieces, showcasing his talent here in The Wedding with snappy dialogue, unspoken emotions, thematic elements and internal and external engines. Yes, I know, this is a comedy review but when I see talent I can appreciate the effort Balloch, and his team, including director Justin Porter who did a brilliant job, have done.
At the end the audience tried to give a standing ovation, yet Balloch, in true Aussie fashion, waved us back down.
Nup. Nadda. Take it all Balloch. You and your team deserve it, and I want to see you filming the next standing ovation.
Otherwise, I’ll introduce you to my ex-MIL.
Great show by a writer/performer who is one to watch. Follow him on Andy Balloch (@theandyballoch) • Instagram photos and videos and get your tushes onto those seats for the remainder of the MICF shows!
Andy Balloch: The Wedding now playing at Storyville at 9:00 pm (8pm Saturdays and Sundays) until 20th of April.
