COMEDY Festival Roadshow veteran Dave Callan knows what the Mount Isa audience is typically like.
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The master of ceremonies anticipates a few heckles when he warms the crowd at the Mount Isa Civic Centre on Tuesday night. This will be the third time he performs in the Isa.
“There’s a few characters in town,” Callan said. “Some of them will give you a test and a heckle. I love heckles. If someone heckles I will go along with it and have a bit of a banter.”
There were some types of comedians that shut down a heckler immediately. This was not Callan’s style.
“You’re kind of opening yourself to someone being funnier than you. It’s a bit of a risk,” he said.
“But I like to have it as a bit of a forum so people can build on what we’re presenting. It’s everyone’s show and everyone can contribute.”
The contributions can only go so far, especially when a drunken heckler does not know when they have lost to the comedian. “The audience gets fed up with them and that’s when you have to start pulling up the stops to shut them down a bit,” Callan said.
Callan will introduce four other comedians to the stage. They are Adam Hess, Damien Power, Danielle Walker, and Matt Stewart.
“(Danielle) is hilarious. She is like nobody else I have seen and has a unique voice, very absurd.
“She is going to take audiences on a journey. A lot of comedy comes from not knowing what somebody is going to say next and you have got that with Danielle.”
Adam Hess worked in a similiar vein of being absurd. “I think a lot of comedy is evolving these days to be quite absurd because people are not knowing what to expect,” Callan said. “People enjoy that sort of style.”
Damien Power kept to the more traditional style of stand up comedy.
“He’s very observational and also has wonderful flights of fancy in that,” the MC said.
“He will surprise people and taken them to interesting places. He is a great writer and a great performer. And very dry.”
Callan had worked with the former three comedians but not with Matt Stewart. Still, the MC knew about his style.
“Matt is also very dry as well. He’s a bit greener than Damien, a bit fresh, and I have not worked with him before, and I am looking forward to it.”
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow will be held at the civic centre on Tuesday night. Ring 4747 3300 for bookings.
