Comedy
By Bad Egg Boys
Jimmy’s
11th of February 2015
Jimmy’s is quiet with anticipation, people clutching their purses tight in fear of crims, the low-lit dive-bar aesthetic not helping one bit, as they chug down cold beers and try to catch the breeze from the lone fan in attempt to keep cool in the stuffy room. Cue: blaring hip hop.
Right off the bat the Boys are loud and brash – leaping in to the audience, with a boom box and drawn-on guns, tying up the guest host (Luke Ryan) in an act of ‘hostage’ taking. These two girls with boys names, “Simmo and Johnno”, are bad, really bad and they’ve got a point to make to Jimmy (of Jimmy’s den) and they’re going to hold the audience hostage to make it.
The troubled pair swing from extremes – telling us their compelling life stories and then taking our wallets (to be returned later), all with an ‘angry young women’ style of material – they’re criminals remember. Their ferocious and fierce style of joke telling, coupled with charming sincerity gives depth to their performance and makes Stockholm syndrome seem like a real possibility.
While their banter seems to have no direction, no major overarching narrative, and at times is pretty far out it makes some interesting critiques: how men view women for example – ‘I just wanna listen to her all night long’, and it also has a wide range of little cultural easter ‘eggs’ littered throughout ranging from texts like Waiting for Godot, to the Crazy Frog.
Really, the true excellence of this show comes from the commitment of Simmo and Johnno, whether it’s singing Sweeny Todd songs, throwing fake bullets in to the crowd or lying dead on the floor for a whole Taylor Swift song – the Boys are fabulous comediennes and follow through and hit every mark. Their style is reminiscent of early Will Ferrel sketches from Saturday Night Live – light hearted but deadly serious. Look in to their eyes and you won’t doubt their commitment, or how deadly those hand-drawn guns could be.
Catch the Bad Egg Boys before the Police do (February 14)! More information here.
[5 stars]
