Damn it! Why did my time with The Comedy Store in Sydney have to be so good? As a Melbournian to the core, a small part of me was determined that Sydney’s comedy scene was going to be sub-par but it delivered. The Comedy Store, located at 207/122 Lang Road, Moore Park in the ‘Entertainment Quarter’ is a proficient outfit and excellent for comedy.
Aside from being able to order drinks from the comfort of your seat (great system!), The Store’s professionalism in running the behind the scenes of the show impressed me the most. It appeared to be a slick outfit, where staff knew their role and what was required to get the show going. Further, the theatre/room is well set-up and the audience who attended were there to have a great time. Speaking of which, possibly the most international stand-up crowd I have been a part of with punters from all around the globe!
Performing on 13 October as part of The Store’s ‘Spring Comedy Carnival’ were Cam Knight (MC), Jay Morrisey, Tom Cashman, James Smith, El Jaguar, Charlie McCann, Rhys Nicolson and Nick Cody.
At the beginning of 2016, I knew little about Nick Cody but after his 2016 Melbourne International Comedy Festival performance and his ongoing quality efforts at comedy clubs around Melbourne, Nick has developed into one of my favourite Australian comedians. Nick’s material is inoffensive but cheeky enough to hit the right notes. Approachable in his laid back and ‘blokey’ style, Nick puts together sets that weave in new concepts alongside his old material. To be completely honest, when Nick hit the stage I put my notepad away, as he delivered another quality performance.
Our MC for the night Cam Knight, opened up the night in a bright and friendly way, exuding the energy required to the get the audience’s laughs underway. Performing two sets in each of the night’s halves, Cam performed accessible material with excellent delivery. Cam aired on the ‘lighter’ side of things, which kept with the tone of the night. I am interested to see how Cam deals with ‘deeper’ issues in a longer set when he has the time to explore these concepts.
El Jaguar delivered the most memorable performance of the night. In no way is his style ‘traditional stand-up’ but his performance is quality comedic entertainment. The retired luchador used left-field audience interaction to get the whole room on side. El Jaguar is surprisingly clever and first impressions of this guy do not do him justice. For example, he is far more passionate about erotic poetry than you might think! If you lean into his style, get involved and support him, you’ll have a great time while El Jaguar is on stage.
While parts of particular sets felt undercooked or possibly a bit underprepared, which stalled the momentum of the evening, the night was well planned so these moments did not last long. Overall, The Comedy Store runs a professional outfit and if you’re in town, recommend you check it out.