If someone had told me that stand-up comedy would make me cry I would have laughed in their face.
But at the end of Justin Hamilton’s new show, cry is exactly what I did.
I’m not someone who cries over spilt milk. I’ve welled up in a handful of films, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Hamilton just really tugged at my heart strings.
And I wasn’t alone. As the lump in my throat grew and my eyes welled up, I caught the woman in front remove her glasses to dry her eyes.
His show, The Goodbye Guy, which he’s premiering at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, is different to most stand-up comedy routines.
Don’t get me wrong, Hamilton is very, very funny.
But his humour is presented in a style that bears a closer resemblance to theatre than stand-up.
Unlike so much on offer at the festival, Hamilton’s show has a rich, well-defined plot, with a beginning, middle and (very moving) end. The characters have bold personalities, and as the story evolves you form a bond with them. The Goodbye Guy’s storyline even has a moral. Substance.
To loosely recap the show, Hamilton is a blogger who, funnily enough, is struggling to be funny.
He has been writing for a website for several years when a new pretentious young guy takes over as editor. The two have very different ideas of what Hamilton should blog about and Hamilton struggles under the new boundaries that are being forced on his writing.
The show follows Hamilton on what is a bit of a journey of self-discovery. And, ultimately, a journey of letting go.
His recap of a wild boys’ trip to New Zealand is packed with laugh-out-loud moments, as is his retelling of a blind date which is littered with crude jokes and chest pimples.
If you’re after a comedy routine that disgusts and shocks, this is not the show for you.
But if you’re after a different sort of laugh, one that is integrated into an intelligent, compelling storyline, Justin Hamilton is the show for you.
Just don’t forget your tissues.
The Goodbye Guy, Tue-Sat 8.30pm, Sun 7.30pm (60mins) at Victoria Hotel, 215 Lt Collins St, Melbourne
Full Fri & Sat $23, Full Wed-Thu & Sun & Conc $20
Tickets here, Ticketmaster 1300 660 013 & at the door
To visit Justin’s website, click here.
