On Friday night I made another journey into the Butterfly Club to watch ‘Happy Campers’ performed by Jonestown, as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Jonestown are a duo, made up of Nicholas J Johnson and Sarah Jones – who are each comedians and entertainers in their own right, however when their powers combine they become Jonestown! I have thoroughly enjoyed Jonestown’s past shows (‘Pyjama Party’ and ‘Guinea Pigs’) and am a fan of their witty style of prop comedy so I was keen to see them in ‘Happy Campers’.

Upon entering the theatre, we were greeted by Sarah in a full scouts uniform with a large camping pack strapped to her back. On stage, Nicholas was also in a full scouts uniform and was busily arranging the ‘children’ (us) into our groups. I relished the chance to name my scouting group the ‘Unicorns’! A bugle sounded and it was time to start the show, and for all the scouts to learn the rules of scouting. Jonestown led the audience on a hike leading to a campground. Many clever riddles, puns, jokes and witty moments were shared by the group on our fantastic hike. Exotic wildlife was spotted and plenty of stories were shared over the course of the evening. On the evening I attended the show there were even REAL scouts (Rovers) in the audience, which added an extra dash of realism to the show.

 Jonestown are expert storytellers, so best to settle around the campfire with marshmallow in hand and get ready to have some fun! Like with past Jonestown shows, however, there are dark shadows looming in the background – will all the campers make it out safely? To find out, you’ll just have to see the show.

VERDICT: Be Prepared (the scouts’ motto) is relevant here. Be Prepared to have a fantastic romp in a campground with this show. Be Prepared to have plenty of laughs and share in some quirky stories and adventures.

The run of this show is almost over, however keep a look out for the next adventures of Jonestown who will no doubt be appearing at a festival near you.