COMEDY LIKE YOU’VE NEVER HEARD IT BEFORE.
You’ve heard the saying “if you’ve got nothing nice to say, say nothing at all”, well for comedian Mitchell E Roberts saying nothing at all is exactly what his brand of comedy is all about.
When you think of a stand-up comedian, of course the first thing you think of is telling jokes, using their language and stories to jump from one punch line to the next. However, for Melbourne’s own Mitchell E Roberts, he’s decided to perform his stand-up comedy show “May Contain Traces of Reading” all without speaking a single word.
Think Mr Bean, but with a few more palm cards… and much more attractive.
After a two year hiatus off the stage, Roberts introduces you to his alter ego Robert Mitchell a man bound by his circumstances (as ridiculous as they are silly) which he takes very seriously. It follows the journey through the perils and perks of his life, using a combination of physical comedy, dad jokes, and the crossroads of the absurd and the dead serious. Rather than reading between the lines the audience actually just gets to read them, which means it’s accessible to our deaf community and of course anyone who can read… or at least anyone who hasn’t forgot to wear their glasses that night!
No stranger to the stage Roberts is a trained musical theatre performer and has appeared in many musicals over the years including the Australian Shakespeare’s season of “The Wind in the Willows” playing Badger. Roberts says he’s the kind of person never finds himself satisfied doing one thing at a time and over the years has found himself working in all sides of the theatrical process including stage management, writing, and directing.
“The idea came to me in one golden moment and I spent the next 4 weeks trying to work out if it was funny or just silly,” says Roberts. The young performer at just 24 says he was influenced by the hilarious minds of comedians such as Lano and Woodley, Monty Python and Rowan Atkinson. Taking the words right out of his own mouth, “May Contain Traces of Reading” will be definitely be comedy like you’ve never heard it before!
The Butterfly Club presents a production of
MAY CONTAIN TRACES OF READING
When: 7.00pm, 20th – 25th August.
Where: The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Place (off Lt Collins St)
Cost: $27 – $34 : Gen Admission, Groups, Members.
Bookings: www.thebutterflyclub.com
