MULTI-award winning US act The Pajama Men were back in Melbourne by popular demand for a rerun of their 2011 smash hit, In the Middle of No One. Amanda Yap left the show slightly confused – but thoroughly amused.
The Pajama Men. Photo: Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2012
The lights dim at the sold-out Princess Theatre on opening night and a spotlight reveals two ordinary wooden chairs in the centre of stage, a mini keyboard and a guitar by their side.
The Pajama Men bound onto the stage, slipping immediately into their opening characters – and In The Middle of No One began.
It is easy to grasp the Pajama Men’s style of comedy. Absolutely no props are required besides the chairs and both men (clad in plain pajamas) constantly switch characters in mere seconds, playing multitude of roles throughout the night.
They deliver joke after joke through the many mini-skits they cram into their act, aided by background music played live onstage which keeps you laughing from the very beginning.
It is very clear what their strong suit is – their incredibly wide range of facial expressions, gestures, voice tones and accents. Their physical versatility helps you believe they are different people (or aliens or marionettes!) at any given time. Their crude, adult humour may not be for everyone but once you get past it, you’ll find yourself constantly in stitches.
Unfortunately, I did walk away with only a faint understanding of the strange time-travel inspired story played out in the show. While I laughed and clapped along, I was thoroughly confused about what was going on in terms of the plot and about the relevance of each scene and how it fit into the main story.
And yet, I still enjoyed the show. While the Americans’ story may not make much sense, I think it was worth my money just to see them in action. You’ll never see a more humorous and astounding portrayal of so many characters anywhere else in just one hour!
Unfortunately, the Pajama Men’s In The Middle of No One had a strictly limited run this year and ended on April 21. But we’ve no doubt they’ll be invited back for next year’s Comedy Fest too.
In the meantime, you may wish to check out their gig from the 2011 Melbourne International Comedy Festival:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gSmVNxePOM[/youtube]