Dynamically droll and socially relevant, David Rose and Michael Shafar offer up a night of laughs in Outsiders, displaying great aptitude at being able to laugh at themselves, as much as at the rest of society. Outsiders showcases two talents and friends as they share their experiences as students and comedians.
Rose (No Regerts: The 2015 Law Revue), a 21-year-old law student and Shafar (3 Little Gigs, Footy Couch), a 24-year-old ex- law student traverse their experiences in separate stand-up sets. Shafar focuses on his Jewish heritage and the ridiculousness of the concept of religion as a whole, while placing himself on the level of the audience to welcome them into his world. Conversely, Rose begins by accepting the audience’s criticisms of him and running with it, while also discussing some of the social issues that currently effect daily life.
It is evident from the get-go that Rose and Shafar are good friends, and rather than presenting separate sets, they are constantly interacting with each other even when one of them is offstage. They have complementary styles, but they cover a wide array of topics, most of them being ordinary stories elevated to the point of ridiculousness by their different delivery styles.
Shafar has an obvious gift for comic timing, while Rose’s personality is a lot more off-the-cuff. For instance, Shafar begins with a joke about going to the United States and being unable to buy a zucchini because the guy at the checkout didn’t know what a zucchini was. Rose, on the other hand, opens by asking the audience to guess how much he weighs and making his thin figure the brunt of the joke.
Like most young comedians, remnants of other famous comics are evident in Rose and Shafar’s speech. But, Rose and Shafar demonstrate that they have the natural talent to develop their jokes, and will continue to inspect the changing face of society.
Michael Shafar and David Rose begin to write their name on the wall of Australian comedy with Outsiders, a mixture of comic brilliance, vivid storytelling and sardonic social commentary.
Outsiders is on at The Improv Conspiracy, Level 1, 19 Meyers Place, Melbourne from 26 September – 3 October at 6:45pm. For more information or to book tickets, please visit the Melbourne Fringe website or call the ticketing team on 9660 9666.
