Presented by Terry North
@ Quality Hotel Old Adelaide – Wakefield Room
SATURDAY 25 February (until March 9)

Any parent heading to see Who’s Your Daddy: The Funny Side of Fatherhood, will be excited to see that somebody is finally saying what we’ve all been thinking for years. For those viewers yet to fall into the parenting trap, it should provide some startling (and probably quietly terrifying) insight into the future ahead. UK’s Terry North, Melbourne’s JJ McLean, Brisbane’s Pete Melrose and USA’s Mr. Alabama have teamed up to deliver the honest, raw and probably slightly offensive truth about what it means to be a parent. And, with 13 children and 11 grandchildren between them, I would say that they’re more than qualified. These guys aren’t afraid to tell the truth, whether it’s Mr. Alabama’s concerns that his son is going to turn out gay or JJ McLean admitting that he only now realises why his own father drank so much. There’s a lot of ground to be covered in this 60 minute show, and each performer has his own story to tell. Obviously well practiced, the comedy team manages to deliver a downright hilarious insight into family life and the struggle to maintain one’s self identity in the face of children’s toys, interrupted bathroom breaks and a dwindling sex life.

These guys did the best that they could in a bad situation on the night. Having been sold out the previous evening, it was disappointing to be seated in an essentially empty venue in a crowd of 10. Despite what must have been very disheartening, each performer still put in their best efforts and delivered a highly energetic performance. While there were few audience members available, all performers attempted to engage the audience the best that they could and those of us who were present tried hard to give as much back as we could. I have no doubts about their material, and thoroughly enjoyed what they had to say, however I also believe that it would be a much more lively and interactive show had the seats been packed. Held at the Quality Hotel Old Adelaide on O’Connell Street, North Adelaide, organizers of the performance would perhaps be better served choosing a venue close to the Garden of Unearthly Delights in the future.

This all said, I did have a chance to have a beer with Terry, JJ and Mr. Alabama after the show. Pete went to bed – probably just excited to have a minute to himself! They’re a great group of guys, and comedy is clearly what they love to do. They were a riot to hang out with, and judging by the way that they interact on and off stage, they’re clearly all great friends as well. As I mentioned on the evening, I would love to have the chance to see their show again on a night when more seats are filled and they have a better opportunity to showcase their talents.