‘No Show’ // Melbourne Fringe

‘No Show’ was impulsive.

Comedy can be a fickle business. Some nights you can have the audience in fits of hysterics, while others you can practically hear a pin drop. The golden rule of comedy (and entertainment in general) though is that “the show must go on”. But what if there is no show? What then? Comedic duo Thom Heim and Jett Bond pose exactly this question in their latest production doing the rounds at this year’s Melbourne Fringe, appropriately titled ‘No Show’.

‘No Show’ is a genius name for such a performance. Named specifically for the show’s premise of an absent comedian; it also cleverly articulates the inner workings of improvised theatre. When the fictional comedian Vinny Billabong is fatally injured on his way to the show, a lights technician (Heim) and front-row heckler (Bond) engage the audience in an hour’s worth of conversation, ridicule, and hilarity.

Without the sometimes restrictive parameters of scripted jokes, improvisational comedy can be formed through the observations of and interactions with the audience. No two shows will be exactly the same. It is a liberating notion for theatre, even if it is susceptible to the potential ebbs and flows of success. In the case of ‘No Show’ though, overwhelmingly, the spontaneity of improvisation is it’s biggest triumph.

Bond and Heim join forces in ‘No Show’ after navigating the road of Melbourne’s comedy scene individually. For Bond, comedy has been a journey of independence. A graduate of the prestigious Australian College of the Arts (Collarts), Bond stepped into the spotlight as a finalist during the Class Clowns competition in 2018. After covid halted the comedy scene for a few years, Bond debuted his first show ‘I Love Money’ at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2023, and returned for a sophomore outing earlier this year.

While Bond’s comedy is often more individualistic, Heim’s is strongly rooted in collaboration. A member of the troupe ‘Lucky Dip’, Heim’s comedic strength is in his writing. Heim’s ability to acutely observe the world around him and then respond to it enables him to craft comedy that is equal parts nuanced and humorous. The blending of Bond and Heim’s strengths affords ‘No Show’ a fresh originality that comedy fans are likely to enjoy.   

One of the Melbourne Fringe’s key venues, ‘No Show’ is staged at the Motley Bauhaus in Carlton. Within the confines of the Cellar (ironically housed in the upper level of the theatre), the show is as intimate as it is simple. The compact theatre can house roughly 30 people. Six or so rows of seats face the tiny stage that is adorned with a shay fabric curtain. The right-hand wall of the theatre has a large portion of exposed brick, a look akin to someone having had a temper tantrum a peeling off the paint. A single podium stands in the back right-hand corner where simple tech equipment is stationed unassumingly. While this description may sound negative, it in fact provides the opposite feeling. The intimate and rustic aesthetic of the room is evocative of the true nature of fringe theatre – entertainment that hits close to home. Staging such a show as this in such a theatre is a clever move as it encourages audience interactivity, whether desired or not.

Many of the gags within ‘No Show’ steam from the projected visuals onto the stage curtain. The laptop-driven projector, helmed by the unnamed tech (Heim), illuminates the stage with an advertisement of the supposed comic of the evening, Vinny Billabong. After receiving a concerning phone call that Billabong was killed on route to the theatre in a series of ‘car accidents’ (yes, that is plural), the tech, using Canva, changes the signage to a crude memorial vestige for the late comic. The tech tries (and fails) to convince the audience to vacate the theatre due to the unfortunate event, but as noted by the outspoken patron Joe King (Bond), they had paid for the hour and thus intend to stay for the hour. 

During the course of said hour, the tech treats the audience to a series of random clips, including the likes of the viral ‘Hawk Tuah’ music video, Survivor’s ‘Eye of the Tiger’, and a POV of the Expedition Everest rollercoaster at Disney World’s Animal Kingdom theme park. Perhaps the biggest laughs stem from the tech’s inspection of an audience member’s Netflix account. This results in him messing with their algorithm, commenting on their viewing history, and making everyone watch a minute or so of the controversial true crime series, ‘Dahmer’. 
Not every visual establishes the laughs it intends though, mainly due to the curtain making some projections difficult to see properly. Overall though they do elicit plenty of belly laughs from the audience. These visual alone may not always be funny, but their timing and interplay with what is happening in the theatre itself is what really tickles the funny bone.

Props and costuming are kept to a minimum. With the exception of a bag of Cheerio’s, a book of affirmations, and a misplaced doll (both figuratively and literally), no props are utilised throughout the show. This allows for majority of the comedy to come from the interactions Heim and Bond have with audience members themselves. From poring a cocktail of Coke and wine into the packet of Cheerio’s, challenging another patron to a wrestling match, and Joe King sneaking away to have a ‘shower’ in the backstage bathroom, the interplay the performers have with their crowd is continuously heralded as the show’s focal point.

These interactions of course lend themselves to the potential success or failure of such a performance. It is in its nature that improvisation is ever changing. While not every show is likely to be equal in its execution, it nevertheless promises to be an entertaining and unique experience. Each staging of ‘No Show’ offers a metaphoric (and literal) rolling of the dice, which in and of itself is exhilarating.

Regardless of the unpredictability of ‘No Show’, it nonetheless clearly demonstrates the promising comedic chops both Heim and Bond have. Their talent for drawing on the personal experiences and interactions with the crowd is commendable. Heim’s performance of the reserved, slightly-neurotic technician is perfectly balanced with Bond’s outlandishly oafish Joe King. Their ability to bounce off the audience, as well as each other, shows a level of success and nuance. It is their blended charisma that makes ‘No Show’ as fun of an experience as it is. That is no easy feat, particularly in the challenging realm of improvisational comedy.

The inclusion of ‘No Show’ in this year’s Melbourne Fringe program is refreshing. It reinforces the pure artistry that goes into improvisation. As we all know, life can throw a myriad of hurdles at us. The resilience with which we rise to the occasion shows us just how tough we really are. In the case of Thom Heim and Jett Bond’s ‘No Show’, their resilience is established through their humorous engagement with each other and the audience. While the audience may have come to see ‘Vinny Billabong’, the entertainment they get from his absence is all the more memorable. Ultimately, it is true what they say: no matter the circumstances, “the show must go on.”

‘No Show’ performs until Sunday, 6 October 2024 at the Motley Bauhaus in Carlton. For more information about this or other shows, or to purchase tickets, visit the Melbourne Fringe’s website.