Josh Earl vs. The Australian Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Book : Live Comedy Review

For thousands of years (probably), stand-up comedians have honed their craft, attempting to find a universal harmonic – a theme that resonates with everyone who hears it, bringing an entire audience together in a cacophonous din of laughter that brings down the house (not literally of course). Many have tried, broaching many topics. Dating? People can relate to that. Airline food? It definitely holds a certain level of blandness. The existence of Steve Jacobs? Sure, if you’re lazy.

But let it be known, there is only one thing, one object of power, one idea that binds all children of the eighties together, and Mr. Josh Earl has found it – The Australian Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Book.

Who amongst us didn’t have a copy in the kitchen of our childhood, tantalizingly out of reach, but filled with such images of wonder, amazement and sugar?

Josh Earl - Seriously, who ACTUALLY wanted the potato chip 'Rubber Ducky'?

Keen attendees of the Melbourne comedy scene may have witnessed Josh Earl (Triple R’s “Lime Champions”) kicking around a number of pieces featuring this legendary tome over the last year or so, and for the upcoming crop of Australian comedy festivals, he has fashioned them into an hour of icing-and-Smartie-covered entertainment, in the form of “Josh Earl vs. The Australian Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Book”.

I was fortunate enough to stumble onto his show, on trial for one night only at North Melbourne’s Courthouse Hotel. The verdict – hilarious!

Josh Earl, despite his youth, is a comedy festival veteran, and it shows – his demeanour is affable, but never boring. His delivery is conversational – carefully manicured spontaneity is at the heart of his show. He knows he’s funny, but never veers off into smugness. Most importantly, he can take what might be a one-note joke in the hands of another comedian, and turn it into an hour-long show, giving it a fresh take, and a new burst of energy, every few minutes.

Josh takes the audience on a breezy journey through his childhood, and theirs, projecting the book’s many confections up on Powerpoint slides, as he waxes enthusiastic over the “dump-truck cake”, expresses his disgust over the jelly-filled “pool cake”, and questions the sanity of mums who made the potato-chip-lipped “rubber ducky”. Josh’s guitar comes into play a number of times – you know a festival show isn’t complete without a bluesy ode to the one-eyed, one-eared teddy bear pirate cake. Simply delightful!

Rounding off the show with a reading of the insane, rambling letters he has written to the Women’s Weekly, Josh’s mix of stand-up, music and visuals brings to mind a young Demetri Martin, but with a uniquely Australian flair.

In short: If you like cakes,  if you like comedy and if you were ever a child, go see Josh Earl when he pays a visit to your town. It’s an hour well spent.