The Thursday Night Powerpoint Comedy Showcase members stand in front of a red velvet curtain
Photograph: Nick Robertson
Photograph: Nick Robertson

The five comedy shows you have to see at this year's Replay Festival

Melbourne International Comedy Festival is set for a second round – here are comedian Sweeney Preston's top picks

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The hottest shows from this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival are back for Comedy Republic’s second annual Replay Festival. That’s right – the same, sell-out MICF shows, one last time. They must know how much Melburnians love recycling.

Sure to warm your laughing muscles on a frosty winter night, the dedicated Bourke Street comedy venue has curated an incredible program. So, out of the up-and-comers, musical mainstays, and cult classics, who should you take a punt on? Check out my top five picks below.

Replay Festival will be serving up laughs at Comedy Republic until July 22, but don’t wait until the last minute – many acts are only performing one or two gigs, so snag yourself some tickets before it’s too late. For those about to laugh, we salute you.

Sweeney Preston's top five Replay Festival picks

After a Most Outstanding Show nomination at last year’s MICF, Michelle Brasier is back with her new show 'Reform'. Boasting enough review stars to make even the most seasoned astrologer jealous, Michelle combines song, stand-up, and storytelling to great success – and even greater alliteration.

It would’ve been easier getting a RAT over New Year’s than getting a ticket to Grace Jarvis’ show at the 2022 MICF. 'Digging A Hole' is the Queenslander’s debut hour, but you’d be forgiven for thinking otherwise. If you aren’t already sold, hop on over to Grace’s Twitter for a pre-show giggle.

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Featuring six comedians performing six different presentations, The Thursday Nite PowerPoint Comedy Showcase is a line-up show like no other. Full disclosure: I am heavily biased since I’m MC-ing this hour of organised chaos. However, I’ve seen the show many times and keep coming back due to contractual obligation AND genuine desire.

The show is hosted by me, Sweeney Preston, alongside Ethan Cavanagh, and features a star-studded roster of comedians who all have one thing in common – they’ll be joined on stage by Microsoft PowerPoint.

If you’ve ever wondered "what if graphs made me laugh instead of giving me anxious flashbacks to year 11 maths", then Tom Cashman’s show 'Graphs' is for you. As seen on TikTok and The Project, Tom’s new hour proves he’s unquestionably a person in real life too. And a funny one at that.

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In 'The Opener', Zoë Coombs Marr reprises her hack male comedian character “Dave”. Some may remember Dave from Zoë’s 2016 show 'Trigger Warning' which won her the festival’s top prize.

In this new hour, Dave has woken up from a six-year coma. The audience is taken along for a hilarious ride as he processes his new reality in 2022. What could possibly go wrong?

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