Tasma Terrace is a period building (Terrace house) in the centre of Melbourne, housing a cluster of small theatres. As part of the 2019 Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) I visited Tasma Terrace to enjoy Patrick Collins’ performance of “Mime Consultant”. Attending the opening night, the audience was friendly, supportive and we were all up for the adventures of the show to come.

The premise of the show is directly described in the title – Patrick Collins is a Mime Consultant and the show is about his adventures in this profession. If you’re thinking of the (possibly creepy) white faced mimes with striped t-shirts, then do not fear – Patrick Collins appears onstage in a neat, corporate outfit with no face paint in sight. Patrick is relaxed, yet well composed with perfect enunciation and well planned dialogue throughout the show.

Patrick received a warm reception from the crowd with regular bursts of laughter and giggles heard throughout his show. “Mime Consultant” featured some choice one liners and hilarious anecdotes that had audience members cackling with laughter. Whilst I enjoyed the mime based comedy sketches within the show, the personal anecdotes made the show shine!

It’s a fast paced show that was almost too fast in some areas / sketches, however this wasn’t an issue as the greater story of Patrick’s vocation as a Mime Consultant was consistently referred back to. Each comedy sketch lead back to a scene in Patrick’s Mime Consultancy office, which I liked as each of the ‘office’ scenes enhanced the storyline. Some elaborate setups made for some fun, surprising moments at times. Over the course of the show, everyday type scenarios became slightly ridiculous at times (but were also made hilarious!) A very enjoyable show!

VERDICT: for a sketch comedy show with a difference that contains many surprises, take a chance on “Mime Consultant”

*Disclaimer: I attended the show as a guest of the performer.

Tickets: https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2019/shows/patrick-collins-mime-consultant