Garry Starr’s Greece Lightning – Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2022 (VIC)

Written and performed by Damien Warren-Smith

Review by Justin Clarke

This show was so hilarious we had to review it twice (and give it ten stars)! Damien Warren-Smith is a favourite guest of mine on The Theatre Thoughts Podcast; you can find his episode wherever you get your podcasts or on our “How To Listen” page here. You can find my original review of Garry at the Wollongong Spiegeltent here. Read on to enjoy Justin’s take at this year’s MICF.

Performer and clown Damien Warren-Smith brings his hit production Garry Starr: Greece Lightning to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. This riotous night of theatre will have you crying, cheering and asking for a new set of underwear by the end of it.

Warren-Smith brings the bumbling Garry Starr to the stage in Greek attire, with his goal to get us to Greek. Very deliberate stumbling and errors made Garry Starr fully formed; truly an overzealous idiot who thinks he can take on impossible tasks. This evening’s task: tell the entirety of Greek Mythology in one hour. With lightning bolts on his nipples, entering to Grease Lightning, the audience are handed a variety of props that range from boxing gloves, to scissors and stacks of steak. All of which would become abundantly clear when to use as the show progressed.

An erratic decline into the absurd gave us bladder splitting takes on the Greek Mythology’s most infamous names, Shakespearean renditions of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air’s hit theme song, visual gags of flying too close to the sun (or in this case a par can) and eventually the finishing of Cronos being birthed in front of our very wet eyes.

This is no show to be shy in, you will laugh loudly, you will avert your eyes from those next to you and you will be applauding Warren-Smith’s absolute commitment to absurdity. A show to bring your mother to? No. Well, actually, yes, she’d love it and you’ll get an extra kick out of her reactions!

Reviewer rating:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Garry Starr: Greece Lightning plays at the Butterfly Club until 24 April. Find tickets from $29 – $38 here.

Garry then tours to the Sydney Comedy Festival from 5 – 7 May, and the Brisbane Comedy Festival from 10 – 15 May. He also tours to Ballarat, Canberra, and on to the UK later this year. Find all tour dates here.

Follow Garry Elizabeth Starr on Instagram @garryelizabethstarr. Find Damien Warren-Smith @damiencreative.