Following his debut in the MICF last year with his acclaimed show, Millennial, Alex Edelman will offer audiences Everything Handed To You this year. He answers our brief Q and A below, revealing a truth about himself that has been noted for future festival appearances: he’s not a fan of questions about heckling. Sorry about that.
Artist name: Alex Edelman
MICF show name: Everything Handed to You
Dates: 23 March – 17 April
Venue: Melbourne Town Hall, Powder Room
Tickets can be purchased here.
Q. What is your show about, and how did it come into being?
A. It’s autobiographical jokes and stories. I wrote it for the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe Festival as my second solo show. Natch.
Q. What makes MICF different from other festivals you’ve been in?
A. It’s in Melbourne. Which is kind of like the Melbourne Comedy Festival I did last year, but this one is in 2016!
Q. Who are your not-to-be-missed acts at this year’s festival?
A. Bridget Everett, Jen Kirkman, Nick Cody, Steen Raskopolous, Daniel Sloss, Sarah Tiana, Martin Brodeur, Anne Edmonds and her True Aussie Patriots show. David Quirk, Brad Marchand, Mae Martin, Mark Normand, me, Karl Chandler, Rob Ford, Tommy Dassalo, Daniel Koren, David O’Doherty.
Q. What do you believe is the purpose of comedy?
A. It’s the preterite form of the spanish word “to eat.”
Q. What’s the best and worst review you’ve ever received?
A. Best: Someone told me they liked my shirt. I felt like I had scored a big touchdown. Five stars!
Worst: I once had someone honk at me on the highway for changing lanes too abruptly. They were right. One star.
Q. Do you have any unforgettable over-zealous fan experiences or heckles?
A. Not really. Heckling is more of an inconvenience, like when an ambulance drives by you on the street while you’re trying to have a conversation.
Q. Is there an act you would love to heckle?
A. No. It’s an interruption, not an art form.
Q. What would you put in a survival pack for MICF performers or audiences?
A. Pre-written answers to questions about hecklers and heckling (kidding). Very little. This festival is a dream provided you keep your wits about you.
Q. Do you have plans for your show beyond MICF?
A. It will do a run at the Soho Theatre in London for a few weeks in May. Then I’m going to put a script of it on a boat and push it out to sea on fire, giving it a real Viking funeral.
Q. Do you prefer to write and perform under pressure, or in a relaxed environment?
A. Good question. I like to do most of my writing in stressy environments, so I write my shows in places like Boston, New York, London, Sarajevo in the 90s, the spaceship from the movie Alien, and the village from The Wicker Man.
Q. Do you have any stage superstitions?
A. No. But I keep a banana on a stool behind me in case I get hungry.
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