Proudly presented by the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, The 33rd Annual Great Debate was an absolute riot – as it is traditionally known to be.
Self-described by the comedy festival as ‘where critical thinking and comic timing collide’, it’s no wonder that tickets for this show are notoriously difficult to come by, but if you were lucky enough to score one, then you were in for a treat.
This year’s topic, ‘That We Get The Leaders We Deserve’, was on par with some of the previous years’ topics including throwbacks ‘Is Laughter Better Than Sex?’ or last year’s ‘Should We Cancel Cancel Culture?’ Like every year, the Great Debate is a who’s who in comedy circles and this year was no exception.
Political journalist and ABC personality Annabel Crabb had the delight of moderating the debate, doing her very best to keep the comedians in line and on time (the latter not as effectively managed, much to the delight of the audience).
On the affirmative team arguing that we get the leaders we deserve was team captain Lizzy Hoo, John Safran and Em Rusciano. The negative team, arguing against this principle, was team captain Lewis Hobba, Jordan Gray and James Nokise.
In an anything-goes debate at the Melbourne Town Hall, there were far too many highlights to list, but some of our favourite moments from the show included:
- Moderator Annabel Crabb’s mid-show texting flex with Penny Wong
- Jordan Gray’s show-stealing moment in the spotlight as she put forward her candidacy to become our next Prime Minister
- Em Rusciano yeeting the time-keeping bell into the audience to continue her passionate 40-minute speech that covered everything from Diamond Creek Primary School to drinking her own piss
- James Nokise throwing his team captain Lewis Hobba under the bus to make the most solid argument about the leaders they deserve of the entire night
- John Safran being John Safran and proving his points in a way that only John Safran can – shout out to the Ye yarmulkes
- Lizzy Hoo explaining we get the leaders we deserve, because frankly, we suck
- Lewis Hobba schooling us on a class of emotional blackmail with a bring your baby to work day
- Lizzy and Lewis using all of their rebuttal time to roast each other’s team mates on a personal level instead of doubling down on their closing arguments
In what can only be described as organised chaos, the Annual Great Debate is one of our favourite MICF Easter traditions and a great way to spend the Easter Weekend.
Don’t forget to set a reminder for next year and keep an eye on the Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s website for more details.