Comedy Review - Meg Taranto & Elliot Wood: Pass the Parcel!
Images courtesy of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
WHAT YOU!
Little did wealthy grain merchant George Nipper know all the way back in 1879 that one day the classically Melbournian three-story Tasma terrace home he built would go on to host the party of all parties. Meg Taranto and Eliot Wood invite all to their Pass the Parcel party, the only requirement being that you have a birthday (with 2024 thankfully being a leap year to avoid the contentious issue of Leap Day babies and their right to age). In their first collaboration as a duo - which was a genuine surprise for me to learn given the natural chemistry the two share- the dynamic pair spent 12 nights entertaining party attendants as a part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
I will admit I was a little hesitant about the show, the description was vague, the start time was quite late, and it was a typical Melbourne rainy night; however with the allure of possibly winning a prize, who was I to resist their call? And how grateful I am that I attended, not only did I win an entirely FREE packet of lavender seeds that I will definitely get around to planting one day, I also got to enjoy one of the funniest shows I’ve ever watched/participated in. With colour-coded party hats for the audience to select their own level of participation (in itself a revolutionary idea that should be implemented in all comedy venues) Taranto and Wood keep the audience entertained for the entire 50 minutes.
With whimsical outfits and absurd characterisations, you can tell that these two were theatre kids growing up. Literally. Taranto and Wood are both graduates from the Victorian College of the Arts, majoring in Fine Arts with respective graduation years of 2021 and 2022, making the success of this show even more impressive. Whilst both were deliciously erratic, their sketches saw Wood playing more of the ‘straight man’ compared to the INTENSE Lesley-Gore-it’s-my-party-and-I’ll-cry-if-I-want-to energy radiating from Taranto. The level of interaction with the audience only aided in the whacky performance and was at its strongest when we inadvertently aided in the relationship breakdown between the two. It was the perfect amount of interaction, complementary but not to the point where it was hiding a lack of substance. Similarly, party game gifts were utilised well, with many tying in outlandish scenes, whether it be a gun-slinging showdown over tasting an eclectic ice cream flavour only to order the chocolate, or the very serious international issue that was the Norwegian Butter crisis of 2011, the pair made sure everyone was involved and having a grand old time.
However it was not all fun and games - this is a show after all - with the concept of what’s fair being a key theme. After all, unlike the birthday parties of our youth where the parents would painstakingly time the stopping of the music to ensure every single child won something, this is adulthood and we can’t ALL win a prize. But as Taranto’s character mused, just because life is disappointing why does a fun game have to be? And if one person is continuously picked on to lose is that just about life being unfair, or the odds being stacked against just them? The social commentary was light given the comedic circumstances of the show but in a different environment I would be interested to see where they would have taken it.
Unfortunately, I saw Pass the Parcel on its closing night but given the success of the show I genuinely hope the duo perform it again in some capacity. So (on the assumption that this is not the last we will see of this vaudevillian dyad) if you’re into sketch comedy, very light political commentary, Chekhov’s coin, and cancelled simulated sex scenes then Pass the Parcel is the show to see.
4.5/5 consolation stickers
Pass the Parcel! is showing at the 2024 Melbourne International Comedy Festival between the 27th of March and the 7th of April. For tickets and more info, click here.