Frenchy: Unleashed (MICF)

Frenchy is among the latest in a long line of comedians who 'tell it like it is'. Much of his material relies on tired racial and gender stereotypes (Jewish people being penny-pinchers, Asians being good at table tennis). The rest involves describing how sexually unappealing he is, and how compulsively he masturbates.

He says the Kardashians are "useless cum dumpsters". There are three separate Rolf Harris jokes. Football players are stupid and Instagram celebrities are vapid. Easy targets, obvious jokes. He verbalises thoughts many people in the audience have probably had. For his fans - and there are certainly plenty of them - the fun must be in seeing your worst self represented on stage.

Early on in the show Frenchy spots some teenagers in the front row. After learning they are 15-years-old he says, "Youse are gonna learn some shit tonight!" The truth is, they won't. These are the things 15-year-old boys talk about. During a story about an argument with his ex-girlfriend Frenchy says, "You all know where this is going, don't you?" And the answer is yes. Anyone who attended more than a few weeks of high school knows where Frenchy's jokes are going. Nothing he says is really outrageous or shocking; it's just kind of dumb.

Frenchy Unleashed is not a clever or well-written show. It is unlikely many audience members will recall a single line tomorrow. But if you think the word 'fuck' makes any sentence funnier, you may enjoy this show. If you laugh at his YouTube videos, you will laugh at this. If you work long hours and on your night off you just want to sit and listen to a guy make some mildly inappropriate statements, Frenchy is capable of that.

As Frenchy is wrapping up, a guy at the back calls out, "Oi, Frenchy! I'm told I'm a shit cunt if I don't do a shoey with you." So, of course, Frenchy is forced to invite said guy on stage, exchange footwear, and chug Melbourne Bitter from each other's shoes. It's a genuinely surprising, spontaneous moment and almost certainly a more memorable ending than whatever Frenchy had planned. It gets the biggest reaction of the night and proves that his audience is at least as funny as he is.

Frenchy presents Frenchy Unleashed till 23 Apr at the Athenaeum Theatre, part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.