Escape from a 90s Educational CD-ROM

Before the days of Wikipedia, encyclopaedias were our main source of information, holding all the answers one would need in multiple, alphabetised volumes. During the 1990s, products such as Microsoft Encarta packaged centuries of knowledge into one shiny compact disc. Encarta topped every Gen Y kid’s wishlist, but ever heard of Hello Learning: Aussie Edition 1994? Comedian Michael Williams certainly has, spending 23 years trapped inside the so-called state-of-the-art educational CD-ROM.

Part of this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s line-up, Williams’ hit comedy show, Escape from a 90s Educational CD-ROM, tells the story of a 12-year-old boy who, as a result of a mix of freak events, was zapped inside Hello Learning, and forced to navigate through 30,000 articles, thousands of images, and the audio files to every national anthem.

Fast-forward to the present and we find Michael hanging out with images of historical figures – such as Abraham Lincoln and Anne Boleyn – writing a musical about Colonel Sanders and the life and times of a chicken. Michael’s monotonous and unsettled life is shaken when he encounters corrupt files and realises it’s time to escape from a 90s CD!

The show combines live theatre with animation and Williams is an astute, hilarious and expressive storyteller. Although managing the dynamics of animation and remembering lines may be a tricky task, Williams does so with ease and wins the crowd over with his absurdity and creativity. His material connects with the audience through nostalgic ties and his portrayal of 90s television funnyman, Con the Fruiterer, certainly did him favours. 

If you didn’t get a chance to check out Escape from a 90s Educational CD-ROM, you should listen to William’s popular podcast, It’s a Duck Blur, where he discusses every episode of the classic Disney series DuckTales. What better way to get us through Monday?

Escape from a 90s Educational CD-ROM 
Check out Michael William’s It’s a Duck Blur podcast below
http://itsaduckblur.libsyn.com/