The 1980s was the hey-day of Australian sketch comedy shows – The Big Gig, Hey Hey It’s Saturday, Fast Forward, Full Frontal and more. Zany, fast-paced, irreverent, whimsical and somewhat non-sensical. But always good for genuine belly laughs, sometimes with them, sometimes at them, but funny nonetheless.

This is the essence of Rise of the Olive – the world’s first surreal sketch circus show. And as much as that description may not make any sense to the uninitiated, it describes the show perfectly.

The stage is set with spectacular lighting and ominous orchestral music which builds to a crescendo. It takes the audience a few minutes to slowly understand the ‘format’ of the show. It is certainly different from anything we’ve seen before, and the run sheet so kindly provided is no help at all – as intended!

But we warm quickly to Imogen Stone and Degge and Zane Jarvie as they showcase their rich and varied talents across 24 eclectic sketches over the next hour – from jaw-dropping acrobatics to juggling, absurdist comedy, monologues and, in their own words, “some weird shit we’ve forced in”.

And like any good sketch comedy show, there are mistakes – but are they purposeful or not? We may never know but they have mastered the art of making any mistakes part of the charm of the show. 

Oh, and olives: single olives, olives on toothpicks, olives in jars, dancing olives, Messianic olives … a weaving of olives throughout the collection of sketches.

So come along and relax and let them take you on a rollercoaster ride of absurd, surreal, sketch circus comedy. You may not be able to explain what you saw afterwards but you’ll leave all the better for having gone. 

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