Convicted is a free show from four relatively unknown Australian comedians, located in the chic but rather dingy caves of Cabaret Voltaire. The set-up is fairly typical, with each comedian performing a separate set in a bid to impress and provoke laughter from the Free Fringe crowd. Sadly, they don’t really succeed in achieving either of these goals.
Admittedly, each do a fair job of battling on through an unusually hard to please audience of stern faces and steely silence, but the fact remains that the steely silence was primarily due to the lack of solid jokes issuing from the stage. Punchlines are few and far between, and many of the meandering anecdotes seem aimless and lacking in vital humour. The crowd might have been particularly unforgiving, but the comedians themselves did little to rescue the situation.
There are some redeeming moments in the form of guest comic David Hardcastle’s sharp but crude observations, and Nellie, the final Australian comic to take to the stage, has a good stab at winning over the crowd despite her heavily R-rated content. But as a whole there is a lacklustre feel to the show; the comedians are too quick to accept the air of failure that wafts around the room after every botched gag receives a solemn response, and no real effort is made to fully engage with the audience.
The problem with shows of this kind is often that individual comedians simply don’t get enough time on stage. As soon as they relax and get into their flow it’s the end of their allotted time, and many don't get the chance to really test the water and develop a feel for the crowd. This show is a classic example of this problem, and furthermore actually enhances the predicament by only lasting around forty minutes. Perhaps, if allowed a little more time and delivered with a bit more conviction, this could grow into something much more interesting.
