Gordon Southern has a simple method for determining whether a show is succeeding or not. He keeps two bottles on stage as a sort of liquid tally system – when a joke works he takes a mouthful of water; if a joke flops, he takes a swig of coke. With the two bottles side by side, the audience has a clear visual indicator of how he thinks the show is going.A regular performer at UK and Australian Festivals, his website states he is in demand at some of the most prestigious venues in the UK. He must have been disappointed then, when he arrived at his allotted venue as part of the 2011 Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
The Forum is a gorgeous neo-classic wonder, a beautifully restored jewel in Melbourne’s commercial theatre district, with a main hall that evokes the spirit of the great cabaret/burlesque venues of the past, and an infinity ceiling in the foyer that inspires awe. So when they told him he was performing in one of the more prestigious venues of the festival, he might have been forgiven for expecting a touch of class. Instead, he scored “The Carpet Room”. At not much larger than an average lounge room, and about as much atmosphere as the inside of a deep freezer, The Carpet Room is by far the most uncomfortable venue I can recall in my years of attending the Comedy Festival. In this disused broom closet, the presence of a microphone on a stand was just taking the piss. With some audience members forced to sit on the floor due to lack of seats, and others shifting around uncomfortably because the pews were so close together, Gordon Southern had his work cut out for him before he even started.
Entering stage left via the Fire Escape (no joke), Southern bounces onto the stage and immediately begins engaging with the audience. He explains the show was originally to be called Free Jazz, and there is certainly a spirit of improvisation and jumping around between topics. A second-hand electronic sampler provides some cheesy sound effects that punctuate his gags and provide accompaniment to his infrequent snappy raps. His material covers some pretty familiar territory – young people, religion, the general crapness of English weather. There’s no real through line or overarching theme – spontaneity is clearly the aim – and while he arrives with some pre-prepared material, much of the humour comes out of the conversation with the audience.
Southern performs with great energy and self-confidence, although his delivery is at times distractingly reminiscent of David Brent (complete with winks at the audience) and he has a tendency to laugh at his own jokes. There’s a lot of good material and some killer one-liners, but on the night I was there the interaction with the crowd was frankly a little hit-and-miss. To be fair, flying by the seat of your pants as he does, relying on dialogue with the audience is a hugely risky way to structure your show – especially in the trying conditions, when much of the audience in the front rows were feeling less than playful. When it worked it paid off wonderfully – but at other times it simply killed the momentum.
Fortunately his enormous energy kept the show moving past those awkward moments and despite the cramped surrounds, by the end of the performance he'd drunk more water than coke – a fitting result.
2011 Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Free Range
Gordon Southern
Venue: The Carpet Room, Forum Theatre | Cnr Flinders & Russell Sts, Melbourne
Dates: 31 March - 24 April, 2011
Times: Tue-Sat @ 8.30pm, Sun @ 7.30pm
Duration: 60 minutes
Bookings: Ticketmaster 1300 660 013 | At the door