Image: Joshua Ladgrove
Sharpen your tongues and gather your rage – here’s your chance to heckle federal treasurer Joe Hockey.
Well, not quite Joe Hockey, but a guy wearing a Joe Hockey mask.
Reality is not the point here.
Comedian Joshua Ladgrove’s show Come Heckle Hockey at this year’s Fringe Festival is inviting audiences to vent their frustrations at the treasurer, played by Ladgrove.
“The point of the show is to play with the dynamics of heckling and turn something negative into something fun,” says Ladgrove.
The Melbourne-based comedian last year drew mixed reviews with his show Come Heckle Christ, the controversial subject matter prompting calls for to be banned from the Adelaide Fringe Festival.
After noting the explosive reaction to the release of this year’s federal budget, Ladgrove decided to revive the format with Joe Hockey at the centre.
“There’s not really an abundance of political satire in Australia at the moment, for whatever reason,” he says.
“Overall, we don’t do it as often as we should and this government is right for satire.
“We’re just doing ourselves a massive disservice if we don’t actually take the piss out of Hockey, Abbott or Pyne.”
Like Come Heckle Christ, this incarnation of Ladgrove’s show is based primarily on audience participation and provocation.
No input from the audience? No show.
While audiences of Come Heckle Christ saw a lack of performance on Ladgrove’s part, Ladgrove says he didn’t mislead anyone.
“All our marketing was like ‘Hey guys, come yell at us’,” he says.
“Come Heckle Hockey is an opportunity for audiences to drive the action and for me to respond as quickly and as humorously as I can from the perspective of Joe Hockey.”
Perfect for anyone who’s ever been rejected from the Q&A audience.
Come Heckle Hockey plays this Sunday at the Lithuanian Club in North Melbourne.
More details here.
