Type: Stand-up Comedy, Audience participation
If You Liked: Situational comedy
John Glover’s aim at this year’s Melbourne Comedy Festival was to make as many new besties as he could in a 55-minute time slot. This was to be attempted through staging his new show, Be My BFFFFFFF, a piece that according to its website description was imbued with “having a welcoming and encouraging vibe”, but on arrival, it oppositionally left an uncomfortable impression.
Glover’s first “potential bff” a female sitting near the front row, (a place one only knows to sit if they’re okay being drawn into the performance) was asked a question but then confusingly was told to be silent after she tried to respond. While there was potential for comedy to be made out of this interaction, it played out in such a manner that if we as the audience weren’t tentative to try and continue offering more chances to participate. It felt an odd setup for the overall premise.
This was audience hesitance was displayed later down the show’s runtime when Glover was struggling to garner further participation – he playfully may have been wondering why. The unexpected shouting during stories further created an distorted environment on where the goal of the show sat, leading to an experience that left me, frankly, overwhelmed and unable to focus on the conclusive points coming across.
An audience’s reception of a show that has been marketed as one where the performer interacts with them is extremely important in setting the tone at the beginning of the show. It sets the standard for how others may be interacted with in the future and makes a huge difference to how the room itself feels. Obviously, on this occassion, Glover’s sharp comedic style may not have been for me. Apart from the more on-the-nose jokes that targeted ASL and the deaf community, the nature of the show’s audience participation was a factor that, for me, fell beyond a “target audience” issue.
In live comedy every night, each audience is different, but for a show that is aiming to gain a person’s trust to come out of their comfort zone and serve a crucial part of the show, several moments led to an environment that was to its detriment the contrary.
See our other reviews from the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in the link below
Tickets and Practical Info for Be My BFFFFFFF! at MICF 🎟️
Storyville Melbourne
Season: 24th of March-5th of April.
More info: https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/browse-shows/be-my-bfffffff/
