John Moloney - One Hour of Jokes

By Chris Wood

John Moloney

To be brutally honest, I had absolutely no idea what John Moloney was talking about for the first 90 seconds. Whether it was a deliberate attempt to befuddle the audience, or whether he genuinely sounds like Hugh Grant after a valium, I am still unsure. However, I’m confident in assuming that the others around me were just as confused with his observations on indoor plants and hand-sized digging implements.

After the aforementioned confusing start, I dare say may have had individuals questioning the choice of their Saturday nights entertainment for a brief second. Yet, just as quickly as he had managed to confuse us, he managed to recapture the audience with his insightful observations and self-deprecating observations, suggesting weren’t we glad we chose to spend our Saturday night listening to an overweight British man with a lesbian haircut.

It’s a widely publicized fact that Moloney was formerly a schoolteacher. Knowing this, his commentary on the inability of today’s youth to be content with their own thoughts is particularly pertinent.

From this moment on, Moloney was nearly faultless. The true nature of his comedic style was fully unraveled. Drawing on influences ranging from family life, teaching, and growing up, John Moloney represents a back to basics approach that many of today’s comedians appear to have forgotten. Throughout these tales of getting annoying students suspended, the RSPCA and male teenagers’ penchant for masturbation, Moloney harks back to a formula of genuine joke-telling that sees him combining the sometimes indistinguishable fabrics of both truth and tale. Weaving these jokes into the broader story based comedic presentation, Moloney successfully creates a rich tapestry of humorous dialogue and cunning observation.

Another one of John’s assets is his ability to drop in words that are virtually unrecognizable to the contemporary ear canal. This affinity for words helps the character building process more than anything. His ability to speak largely in an under-enthusiastic whisper, whilst maintaining a room full of interest, also gives his show an air of sophistication and credibility.

Although almost faultless, I can’t help but point out Moloney’s less than appealing foray into musical comedy. Perhaps it’s just my loathe for such an overused style, thus rendering me biased, but the lull over the audience was undeniable for even the most hearty fan of John Moloney’s work.

However as a preview show, it afforded Moloney the opportunity to ‘road test’ new material. It’s quite possible that it takes even the most established of comedians a little while to completely read a particular audience type before they manage to perform at a level they feel comfortable. 

As a whole, John Moloney is genuinely entertaining for an incredibly diverse audience and well worth a look-in if you enjoy a laugh.

"John Moloney - One Hour of Jokes"
When: 2nd - 26th April (Tuesday - Saturday 9.45pm, Sunday 8.45pm)
Tickets: $32 full, $30 concession, $28 (Groups of 6 +), Previews $22
Where: Swiss House - 89 Flinders Lane (btw Russell & Exhibition Sts) Melbourne.
Bookings: Ticketmaster & at the door