Stand Out Comedy | The Chippo Hotel

Stand Out Comedy

The Chippo Hotel

Reviewed by Ron Lee, CSP

It’s great to discover new comedy venues, and my latest finding was Stand Out Comedy at The Chippo Hotel in Chippendale. The show combines stand-up comedy with improv.

Even though this isn’t a review about the hotel bistro, the parmi was excellent, and my companions told me that their grilled barramundi and mushroom burger were equally delicious.

With the venue’s proximity to UTS and Sydney University, the audience transported me back a few decades. In keeping with the atmosphere, the heart and soul of Stand Out Comedy is MC Reece Boyall who sports the Jesus look that was prevalent in the ‘70s.

The room seemed to be filled with regulars. Boyall’s energy, enthusiasm, hyperactivity and likability warmed up the audience in super-quick time. He’s engaging and welcoming. There’s no put-down comedy here.

The first comedian was Lizzy Hoo, who did some single woman and procreation bits.

Melbourne comedian Dave Hughes made an appearance, doing what he does, and it shows that the venue is recognised by some of the nation’s better-known acts.

Sam Bowden did a bit about sexuality. I wasn’t sure whether he was confused about his sexuality or I was confused about his sexuality.

A trio of performers did an improv set that involved audience members calling out the names of six items, and individual bits were spontaneously made up based on each concept. The guidelines of improv must have changed since I had a Theatresports team. Back then, points were deducted for “blocking” and for using unnecessary American accents. I suspect that the latter could be a millennial thing caused by media influence and the Americanisation of Australian culture and language. Blocking stops the progress of a scene.

For me, the highlight of the night was a young Filipino comedian named Patrick Golamco, whose humble and innocent persona is immediately endearing and his observations are insightful, intelligent and clever. Golamco could become quite significant in the industry, and I’ll be following his progress.

Reece Boyall created a warm atmosphere in the room. His attitude is less about making fun of audience members and more about acknowledging them and making them feel valued and recognised. With COVID distancing, it felt like we were in someone’s big lounge room with a bunch of university mates and watching people do their bits. One consequential aspect was the notable absence of heckling, which is normally unheard of in a comedy venue.

At $10 for a full evening’s entertainment and the availability of great food, Stand Out Comedy at The Chippo is an absolute bargain. As they say in the classics, “I’ll be back”.