Review: Paul Culliver Controls the Media

by

By Paul Campobasso

4/5 Stars 

 

If you’re in the city on the first Thursday of the month and in need of a laugh, take a stroll down the obscure, dimly lit alleyway of Carson Place (in Melbourne’s CBD) and head into the friendly yet aesthetically confusing Butterfly Club. Here, you may be lucky enough to witness a bout of comedic trivia, titled Paul Culliver Controls the Media, which delivers a lot of fun and plenty of humour.

 

Although the crowd is small, I feel like I’m sitting in a full house once the show begins; the audience’s laughter filling the room to capacity. It’s a  fitting reaction to a line-up of comedians and their intelligent, random and even informative humour.

 

Taking the familiar format of a quiz show, the performance features two teams of comedians with Andy Matthews and Bec Petraitis on one side; Angus Hodge and Anthony McCormack on the other. Comedian Paul Culliver sits between the two teams, coordinating the show and introducing the game categories, all of which revolve around recent news events and headlines.

 

The friendly, comedic and neurotic chemistry between the participants makes the entire panel likeable and fun to watch, while the way they acknowledge and encourage audience participation and interaction, without ever forcing it, keeps the whole event random and engaging.

 

Though the line-up of comedians constantly changes, if this month’s quiz is any indication of how funny the others will be, then Paul Culliver Controls the Media will provide a great hour of entertainment that’s topical and enjoyable.

 

Paul Culliver Controls the Media shows the first Thursday of every month at The Butterfly Club, Carson Place, Melbourne, VIC, 3000.