The Case for Forest Dreaming

It is hard not to like the ComedyFest show Sammy J and the Forest of Dreams, especially when it starts off with a rousing number like F#ck you Disney. The usual unease I felt when encountering supposedly funny shows dispersed as the show quickly started mocking Disney’s purported Nasi-eaque leanings and held out the promise of a gentle and at times brutal mock musical, in the muppet style.

Unfortunately, the extended promise didn’t quite manage to live up to itself for the whole 75 minutes of the show. There were ups and downs, comedic hits and misses, but more hits than misses thankfully. That the performers are incredibly talented, entertaining and amusing, there was no doubt: the muppetry was incredible, if at times disturbing; and the sense of humour, though occasionally wandering into vulgar (and not necessarily funny) realms, spent most of its time in the land of the funny. One apparently improvised exchange brought on by the failure of a sound effect left the entire audience howling with laughter – and the performers seemed amused by the whole thing too.

The story though is what kind of lets the side down. My own perspective on the plot, which centred on the machinations to inspire insurrection in the fabled Forest, was that it seemed in a bit of poor taste – but then, my perspective is influenced by the Great War for Civilisation by Robert Fisk that I am currently reading, thanks to a loan by the Fisherman.

Some slower scenes dragged the pace of the show down so much one could distinctly hear the tumbleweed blowing through the bleachers, though some claim this was just the hideous Wellington weather on the night in question. Whatever the real cause, it was drowned out once the flabbier middle of the show was done and the laughs came thicker and faster. While distinctly Australian in flavour, the show threw in some local references for good measure, and was not afraid to laugh at itself. Most importantly for me though, I found that I could laugh along with them - the ultimate sign of comedic success.

Verdict: All in all, I was not disappointed by this, the only ComedyFest show that I thought worthwhile to see. Sammy J in the Forest of Dreams was a lot of laughs, even in a howling Southerly and late on a Wednesday night. 3.5 fingers out of 5.