UTG @ Melbourne International Comedy Festival: David Quirk – ‘Career, Suicide’

Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Comic: David Quirk
Show: Career, Suicide
Venue: Melbourne Town Hall

There’s something confronting about a man standing at the front of a crowded room wearing only a towel. Add a microphone to that equation and the combination of near nakedness, curiosity and the potential for imminent electrocution creates a nervous energy all its own. David Quirk wants you to know that energy, and if you attend his utterly brilliant and gloriously off-kilter show, Career, Suicide, you will.

Taking the stage clad in this rather unusual choice of attire, Quirk immediately grabs your attention, before launching headfirst into an hour of comedy that takes you places that others fear to tread.

Renowned as one of Australia’s most confronting stand-up comedians, Quirk’s ability to find humour in the dark and twisted crevices of minds is on display from the get-go, as he opens the show with a hilarious anecdote featuring a German tour manager, Chippendales and a borrowed towel before taking us all on a wild ride to a world where pedophilia, veganism, suicide and even inter-species breeding are worthy comedic fodder.

A master story-teller, Quirk spins each of these rather risqué topics into a constant stream of laughs that attack from all angles, all the while peppering the audience with witty one-liners, deep insights and clever wordplay that ensure the hour spent with his company is one filled with devilish delight.

Possessing a laconic delivery style that often seems at odds with the material being presented, Quirk’s unique talents lie in owning the juxtaposition between his status as an ethical vegan/skater/pacifist and the unbelievably dark confines of his mind. This juxtaposition leads to a show in which the audience is never able to feel truly comfortable, and the show feels consistently fresh as a result.

Highlighted by a series of anecdotes about a particularly foul-mouthed child, the notion of escaping debt via suicide and the strange sexual habits of skate store customers, Career, Suicide proves to be a riot of an hour spent in the company of one of the world’s most original comedic minds.

SCORE: 4.5/5

david quirk

David Quirk’s Career, Suicide is on now at the Melbourne Town Hall. A complete set of dates and ticket details can be found here

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