Ashton Kutcher’s Dead Girlfriends

The night this particular reviewer attended, Crow gets onto the stage fifteen minutes late, beer in hand – no problem – looking laid back and slightly out of it, perhaps trying to emulate Oliver Reed one of his heroes.  He begins by dumping on the crowd who attended the night before. 

 Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2011 Presented by: Adam Ethan CrowVenue: The Night OwlWednesday, 6 April, 2011 
The night this particular reviewer attended, Crow gets onto the stage fifteen minutes late, beer in hand – no problem – looking laid back and slightly out of it, perhaps trying to emulate Oliver Reed one of his heroes.  He begins by dumping on the crowd who attended the night before. 
Then it’s the usual stand up fare: pick on the closest man/woman, denigrating the bloke, playing up the youth and beauty of the female—the “beautiful young woman” line gets a frequent, shallow airing often enough to tip off the observer that there’s some unflattering takes coming.  
Crow works in some uncomfortable material – his experience of sexual abuse at the hands of a Catholic priest, attending school – nothing gets you climbing a gym rope like a priest with an erection at the bottom – and time spent in jail – doesn’t mine that rich vein despite his honest readiness to payout on women who done him wrong, or not.  He does produce one of the most logical lines – humorous or not – about the Catholic Church and sexually abusive priests:  “Why didn’t they just send out a memo saying, “leave the kids the fuck alone”.  It takes courage to use personal history that’s so raw but Crow throws it out to audience without following; more bitterness than humour which is understandable but inaccessible to the audience. Too much inconsistency in Crow’s material received a patchy audience response; an attempt to play at being the climate denier fell flat when an audience member out-smarted him and to which he couldn’t adapt. Where Crow does his worst is his one-liners and stories about women, with the exception of his mother – is this ringing any bells – which can only be described as nasty, well-worn and stupid.  Or is it just part of the persona of the funny hoon? 
It’s not clear but in by the end this reviewer didn’t care. By the way, if you had been drawn in by the show’s name you would have sorely disappointed, Kutcher, Crow and their dead girlfriends constitute two lines at the end of show. All promise, no delivery.  
For more information, visit: www.comedyfestival.com.au Until 23 April, 2011