Review Alice Tovey: Glass Houses at Storyville

Review by Greg Gorton

Alice Tovey has two shows at the MICF this year, and I have to assume that Glass Houses will be the more controversial. You really have to hand it to this comedian for taking risks with her work, even when the implementation is somewhat disorderly.

In a packed house, many of whom were excited to hear Tovey say anything at all, the writer for many of Australia’s biggest comedy shows was ready to tell her story. A story of her infamous father, the time he went to prison, and what she learned about family through the ordeal.

Alice’s brand of comedy relies, like many comedian’s do, on personal stories and the absurdity of general life. Some of these are highly relatable, like the mother who shows love with food. Some are less relatable but easy to imagine, like a father who insists on urinating outdoors. Tovey is at her best when talking about these aspects of life, and the audience responded strongly to it. As expected from a professional, she also knows her audience well, punching up flat jokes by blaming the woke, playing off Melbourne against Sydney, and laughing at her physical appearance (as difficult as that is to imagine).

Tovey also goes where many wouldn’t, talking about her father’s stay in prison, what life was like for him there, what life was like knowing he was there, and how it was easier for both him and her to survive because they had a family that loved them. For a short period, Tovey even gets serious as she talks about the terrible condition of our prison system, the police state of Australia, and the irony of such a situation for a population where many are the children of convicts, and many see Ned Kelly as a hero. While sometimes this section illuminates the privilege of the situation, downplays her father’s crimes, and shows a little too much disdain for the prisoners he mixed with, she must be respected for entering a world of conversation many consider too taboo for communication, let alone comedy.

Tovey also includes two musical numbers. While the first was a decent blend of comedy and love, the second was sadly too sincere and felt quite unearned as it highlighted a part of the Tovey family story that, while discussed, had previously not been the focus.

While I wasn’t convinced by the night, the audience very much was, with some people struggling to keep upright, and others finding it difficult not to touch people on shoulders and whisper “that’s you”. So while this show wasn’t for me, I still think a lot of people will enjoy the mixture Alice Tovey brings to the table as a white middle-class woman who had something different happen to her, something that might be interesting to learn about.