SKETCHING WITH EASE(L)

If John Cleese and Rik Mayall had a sketch comedian baby, it would be David Massingham. Thankfully, this Raw Comedy state finalist brought his solo comedy show from Melbourne to the Bris Funny Fest at the weekend.

No stranger to Brisbane audiences, Massingham is fondly remembered for his exceptional theatre sports skills from the Brisbane Powerhouse’s free comedy shows. However, there is no improvisation in his solo show, Sketch Me Like One of Your French Girls. Instead, it’s one hour of pure sketch comedy genius.

An artist’s easel acts as the narrator, ice breaker, and silent clown, while Massingham portrays a plethora of hilarious characters in different scenarios. The sketches are brilliant and appear in the most perfect order. What makes Massingham’s sketches so special is how different they are to each other. It starts with ‘Margin’ − a sketch about a play on words; then ‘Zeek’ − a comeback character at Alcoholics Anonymous who finds creative ways to secretly consume alcohol; the silent sketch of ‘Message in a Bottle’; and the very shrewd Wallace Brewer recording his last Will and testament. There are too many sketches to name but each one is cleverly and uniquely crafted.

The woven audience participation is a nice touch and introduced in a way that doesn’t make anyone feel uncomfortable. Many of the skits in Sketch Me Like One of Your French Girls rely on audio files and sound effects, which were skilfully executed by Taylor Edwards.

The only negative thing about Sketch Me Like One of Your French Girls is that it has ended. We hope, for Brisbane’s sake, Massingham comes back with another show soon.