Serious side to comedy

COMEDIAN Jack Levi, best known for his Elliot Goblet character, has moved into the serious business of bringing top class comedy acts to the public.

Levi is involved in the comedy venue, The Crimson Goat Cabaret Club, which holds monthly gigs featuring leading Australian and overseas comedians.

“Melbourne had a strong cabaret and variety scene in the 1970s and 1980s, but in recent years people have been lamenting the loss of a range of suitable venues,” he said.

“The Crimson Goat Cabaret Club was started to offer established, comedy-flavoured cabaret acts. We are aiming for a very high standard.”

Levi established the club at Ormond Hall in Melbourne, near Albert Park, with industry veteran Mitchell Faircloth (Slim Whittle).

The next event, to be held on Sunday, June 6 will headline Austen Tayshus (Jewish comedian Sandy Gutman), and will be hosted by leading British comedian Jeff Green, who has been a regular performer at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. There will be two other comedy acts — Andrea Powell and Fred Rowan — on the bill.

Levi said that Ormond Hall offered a sophisticated environment in a venue where the audience can sit at tables. There is room for 190 people in the stalls and 130 in the balcony.

Among the acts that have performed at the club are Sam Angelico, Ethel Chop, The Dean and Jerry Show, Matt Hollywood and Rosa The Russian Beautician.

Levi has been working as a comic for the past 29 years, mainly at corporate events and simchas.

“I wanted to put something back into the industry,” he said. “When we were thinking of a title for the club, we thought of a goat, which is a cute, inoffensive animal.

“One night, I went to a show at the Esplanade and a band was playing with a crimson curtain as a backdrop, and that’s how we came up with the name.”

The Crimson Goat Cabaret Club is at Ormond Hall, 557 St Kilda Road (enter via Moubray Street) Melbourne near Albert Park on Sunday, June 6. Doors open at 6.30pm. Enquiries: www.thecrimsongoatcabaretclub.com.

DANNY GOCS

PHOTO: Jack Levi as Elliot Goblet.