Sand Up ComedyPerformers: David Rose, Izzy Ali & Zack DyerAt: The Last JarUntil: Sunday April 23

COMEDY REVIEW
By SYBILLA GROSS

David Rose, Izzy Ali and Zack Dyer come together in a lively show that produces many genuine laughs.

Monash law student Rose acts as MC for the simply titled Stand Up Comedy show. He eases the audience into laughter, choosing to make fun of himself much more than he does of his fellow comedians. 

He introduces our two other funnymen with a slightly dry undertone of envy, telling the audience of the their comedic career histories, which are littered with copious awards in comedy competitions past. 

Indeed, Ali is a national finalist for RAW Comedy and a regular at The Comic's Lounge, while Dyer won the 2017 RAW Comedy national grand final, which scored him a performing spot at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival later this year. 

Rose is no novice either. He is a state finalist in the Victorian leg of the RAW Comedy competition and also regularly participates in stand-up around Melbourne.

The diverse backgrounds of the comedians gives the show a curious, yet entertaining, amalgamation of subjects covered during the night.

The topics range from Ali's African identity crisis at the tender age of nine, to Dyer's experiences of jealousy towards the vapid "Insta-famous muscle brahs" on Instagram.

All three comedians, however, draw upon shared experiences of being in the position of an outsider in some shape or form. 

Rose confesses an aversion to the "demon drink" and being dubiously classified as disabled due to deafness in one ear, while Ali talks about reconciling his Somalian identity with a very Caucasian Australia.

Ali’s status as an outsider is double-sided in itself, as he also mentions that he is considered "not-quite-Somalian". His discussion of Africa and the experience of interacting with his cousins turns hilariously dark at points. 

Dyer focuses on his experiences as a proud North Queenslander living in Melbourne, holding on to the belief that Melbourne has won the title of the world's most liveable city six times due to the existence of 24-hour Kmarts.

These different experiences blend beautifully when all three young men broach the topic of the social practice of "going out" and how it relates to young men.

Rose candidly brings up cringe-worthy past episodes of rejection based on safety concerns, while Dyer’s description of overly enthusiastic MDMA-influenced conversations hit home for a surprisingly large percentage of the audience, receiving a particularly hearty laugh of recognition from a group of young men at the back of the room. 

Ali’s account of being the awkward tag-along-yet-token black guy to his white male friends in the club is a particular highlight.

Without giving much more away, the trio of young comedians manage to present an impressive scope of comedic issues with unique viewpoints.