Review: The Good Hurt

Some say that good comedy costs a good dollar. It doesn’t have to be that way though, especially in a city like Melbourne, which overflows with comedic entertainment for every taste. The Good Hurt is a prime example of how just $15 can not only get you a free beer, but also leave you laughing days after the show.

Once every month in Kensington, the Revolt Art Space hosts six comedic acts and a stellar MC to take the stage, all thanks to the production from YAWP online comedy magazine. YAWP started out in 2011, reporting on comedy news with Australian flair. It has since blossomed into an emerging authority in Australian comedy, covering hundreds of shows for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival each year. As the magazine grows, so does its ventures.

Founder of YAWP, Beau Fitzpatrick, always seems to coax the best comedians to come out to the Western suburbs, and each month is different from the last. Which, admittedly, is not something one might expect from such a tiny-scale magazine, and for such a low price. Yet, The Good Hurt manages to congregate some of Melbourne’s top quality comedians, including Anne Edmonds, Andy Matthews, and Rob Hunter. The MC's can make or break the show, but after four shows' experience, the "break" only happened once. The good ones have left the audience looking forward to the interludes just as much as the headliners.

The point of The Good Hurt is to generate quality video for the participating comedians. Many of them are local, and have not gotten as much online coverage yet as they might like. Not every act is a smasher, but lucky for the audience, with six acts in two hours, one need not wait long for the next act to come on and get the crowd laughing again.

The show does draw a mix of styles and taste, but each month, I leave hoping no one noticed if I was laughing too loud. The last show of 2014 is Wednesday 26 November at 8:30pm. Jimmy James Eaton is headlining. Bring $15 and a mate, and welcome summer with a good laugh at The Good Hurt.