Infinite Jest: 50 First Jokes

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Review by Kieran Eaton

Infinite Jest: 50 First Jokes is a variety of first time jokes done by a wide array of Perth comedians. This rule of first time jokes is important because it means all the comedians are on an equal footing. The MC, Sam Cribb makes sure the crowd know the rules of the night, including that all acts cannot exceed 3 minutes. He then warms up the crowd with a short comedy set of his own.

The interesting thing about this night, is the huge difference in performing experience between the whole of the night’s acts. The crowd enjoyed this smorgasbord of talent, enhanced by the MC acknowledging when there is a good joke and moving the show quickly when an act creates a bit of a lull.  All the acts respect the rules, however when an act goes over time a big gong noise is made and they quickly make their exit. The energy in the room feels very encouraging with Cribb, especially making sure first time/new acts feel welcome.

The other encouraging thing is that Cribb does not pad the night out with material between acts. This keeps the night to reasonable length of about two and a half hours. One thing I was pleased to see was an increase in the number of female performers, giving the crowd an insight that comedy should come from many points of view. The venue has an 80s New York Punk scene feel, allowing the crowd to totally embrace this unique concept. Most acts have a sense of  self-awareness and make light of any bombing of jokes.

With around twenty-five performers during this night, there are definitely plenty of jokes floating the room to connect to different sensibilities.  50 First Jokes is definitely a show you should keep your eye out for, as it happens reasonably regularly during the year.