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I joined Andy Muirhead (ABC Hobart, The Collectors) for Saturday Night at the Library, a rather demure event playing at the Victoria State Library’s ‘theatrette’ as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. A tired-looking crowd (it was Easter Saturday after all) quietly took their seats in the half-full lecture hall, and without much ado this bespecled comic took the stage.

Muirhead looks a lot like a professor in his tidy suit, and begins his routine with a pop quiz about Charles Dickens’ quotes. He moves on to a number of Melbourne jokes that highlight his out of town status, and then segues into a string of bogan anecdotes that soon lose their cool. Admitting he has had ‘a bad year’, Muirhead’s personal stories go beyond sardonic to get kind of sad. While his breakup saga does elicit a few knowing chuckles, the laughs are a little forced when he begins talking about the death of his grandmother.

This comedian has some interesting stories, mostly related to his day job, and he can be rather witty. Constant references to his popular Museum Comedy Tours made me feel like I was at the wrong gig though. It was a pretty tame Saturday night, and Muirhead’s act can use some spicing up. This is a fairly family-friendly stand up performance in a venue that doesn’t serve alcohol – a chance to see this ABC star in person and have a laugh at some quintessential Australian humour. He definitely doesn’t raise the eyebrows of any nearby librarians.


The Good People of Planet Earth
Saturday Night at the Library
Andy Muirhead

Venue: State Library of Victoria, Village Roadshow Theatrette | 328 Swanston Street, Melbourne
Dates: 3 - 17 April, 2010
Times: Sat 7.30pm
Duration: 50 minutes
Prices: Full $20, Conc, Group (8 or more), Laugh Pack & Library Card Holders and Foundation Members $15
Bookings: Ticketmaster 1300 660 013 | at the door