With an overwhelming assortment of two hundred plus comedy shows this Fringe season, it is rather hard to strike gold. Yet one compelling duo, Jacques Barrett (AUS) and Bryan O’Gorman (CAN), delivers gold right off the bat.

Performing a refreshing mix of stand-up comedy that is true to the form, the comedians alternated onstage after ten minutes apiece. And what an hour of non-stop laughter it was: each bit was endlessly punchy; both Barrett and O’Gorman held the audience captivated and furtively hoping that the anecdotes would continue for another hour or so.

Presenting as a “pro-man” Aussie, Barrett (yes, the Jacques you assumed was the Canadian in the bill) disclosed his hipster envy by their ability to pull women with a strategically placed tattoo of a cardigan. O’Gorman kept the ‘girls, girls, girls’ theme rolling with a monologue detailing encounters with a certain German fräulein. Apparently being asked, “would you like a drink” is just as terrifying as, “would you like a blow job” by a hair-raising German. Frightening for O’Gorman, yet side-splittingly funny when recounted to us.

It’s not all about the girls though. The duo also broached semi-political wisecracks, with Barrett highlighting the striking features of Barack Obama to a “black Ken-doll”, while feeling greatly ripped off as an Australian for our great leader looking like a, well…

O’Gorman’s self-proclaimed “skater, stoner accent” made for hilarious contrast to his dead-on imitations. With a ripple of drug jokes strung through, punters will be delighted to walk away with a little ironic historical knowledge.

With fantastic delivery, like an “export quality bogan”, the duo have reinforced the fact that regardless of your neighbourhood or country, good comedy and the laughter it creates is universal. A standout Fringe comedy, that is actual stand-up comedy, a sheer comic delight – I cannot wait for part trois.

Boomerangs and Beavertails – Part Deux runs until Sunday the 22nd of February. You can find tickets via the Fringe World guide here.

Stepping into the DeLuxe venue, the size being reminiscent of an actual office cubicle, one enters the amusing life of two call girls. Andrea Gibbs, a Perth comedy extraordinaire, and Janelle Koenig, another local talent, acting as Jacquie and Nat, offered a flipside to those so-often-so-very-terribly-irritating-bloody-survey-calls.

The ladies presented an almost typical tale of workplace harassment, distasteful calls to the geriatric set and the hopeless/fullness of modern dating. Gibbs and Koenig chattily jokes that dating these days is all about “tolerance”, because if, “He looked alright in his Tinder pic”, then why not?

Both call girls gossip about possessing, “Enough baggage for an Antarctic expedition”, whilst alternating between phone call mischief and absolute apathy for their survey duties. The highlight of this misconduct was an array of faux accents, most notably Gibbs’ Scottish crack.

The audience reflected recipients of such survey calls, attested by the raucous laughter delivered even before the punch line hit. Gibbs and Koenig were perhaps limited by the suffocating proximity of ‘stage’ to the front row, as jokes were often announced to each other rather than the viewing audience.

Overall, the local ladies presented a playful and merry world of two call girls, where the biggest dilemma of the day is the shade of one’s shellac. “Breathless kiss” or “broken promise” for Valentines Day, anyone?

Call Girls ends this Sunday.

I understand that rape makes people uncomfortable. Fact is that I was walking into The Stables to the notes of Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines”, about to see a comedy with the words ‘rape’ and ‘pussy’ strung through the title. Walking in, I was very uncomfortable. And then Adrienne Truscott strutted onstage pantless.

As Asking For It: A One-Lady Rape About Comedy Starring Her Pussy and Little Else began, Truscott proceeded to fling three denim jackets and a multitude of hot pink bras from her body. Not that anyone had paid her attire much mind. After settling in with a swig of gin and tonic, Truscott proceeded to ask, “Anyone here been raped?” and then the kicker, “Anyone here a rapist?”

This opening unleashed a powerful comedy hour. The ‘rules’ to rhetoric about rape were unhinged. Truscott tackled the weighty topic vivaciously, as she played a happy-go-lucky character that masterfully joined her to the audience.

With absent pants Truscott took on the elephant in the room. She called out the careless use of rape as a punch line being laziness on other comic’s behalf, most notably the infamous Daniel Tosh. As the title suggests, her genitalia did indeed star. Especially when she used her “lady parts” as a screen for animated projections of comedians and a rapper who deliver rape material in their performances.

Truscott wittily explored several facets of rape culture – political, religious and biological. Prompting the crowd with simple rhetoric, Truscott highlighted just how absurd the concept of a rape whistle and ‘legitimate rape’ are. Her point was just as clear as the view to her pussy.

The combination of clever comedy and brash character enabled her to address a very serious subject. Truscott conveyed the most powerful way to talk about women’s bodies, by satirising the belief that comedy is sacred and women’s bodies aren’t.

As I left The Stables and walked into a still-steamy Perth night, I realised that I was still fairly uncomfortable. Just as Truscott said, that’s the “trouble about rape jokes”. She left me laughing hard, but thinking harder.

Asking For It: A One-Lady Rape About Comedy Starring Her Pussy and Little Else runs until Friday the 13th of February. You can find tickets via the Fringe World Guide here.

In the age of volatile, threatening pathogens and a pop culture obsessed with zombie apocalypse, fear comes in excess. This emotion was evoked in a two-part act consisting of Perth creatives, Kayla MacGillivray (CRT), Jim Maxwell, Rachel Foucar (CRT) and Daniel O’Brien.

Fear explored two terrifying situations, with each half stripping the viewer of a fundamental sensory tool; the first act was performed with the audience blindfolded. With the close quarters of The Velvet Lounge backing onto the raucous The Flying Scotsman pub, acoustics and comprehension (particularly whilst blindfolded and attempting to compensate for lost senses) were not favourable. As the first act unfolded, one struggled to catch audible lines of the performers against the booming and heady antics of punters celebrating the long weekend next door.

This difficult environment fed anxiety. Whilst also blindfolded and half-deaf, the slouchy shuffling of performers up and down the aisle increased the audience’s sense of dread.

The second act made for easier viewing, highlighting just how reliant we are upon all five senses. Set in the cramped staff room of a restaurant, the actors presented just how fearful one can get when you have no idea what is going on. Halfway through the act, a sinister muted silence fell.

The distress and alarming expressions of the actors fuelled growing anxiety over a situation the audience couldn’t entirely wrap their heads around. Silence was just as frightening as darkness.

Being highly avant-garde is a Fringe trait, however Fear did not deliver a shaken subconscious. After two acts to assail the senses, one can only agree, “everything will be [just] fine”.

Fear ends Saturday 31 January. You can find tickets here.