You Chose Poorly

In the search for the Holy Grail, it was the ultimate “mic drop” moment when the old, wise knight from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade states nonchalantly, “He chose poorly,” after witnessing an evil Nazi sipping from what was mistakenly thought to be the chalice of eternal life, resulting in his untimely demise. Thankfully, our fate is left in the safe hands of science communicator and comedian Alanta Colley, and all-rounder (actor, comedian, writer, game designer) Ben McKenzie in their Melbourne International Comedy Festival show You Chose Poorly.

How well do we really know ourselves? A question many will be able to answer confidently, that is until Colley and Mckenzie wittingly and scarily investigate our psyches, collective subconscious and examine our everyday choices. Appropriately named, You Chose Poorly, is not a reference to a bad Tinder date, it is theatre which makes us think. The show examines how we, as humans, regularly make uninformed decisions. The pair unpack sociological black holes such as how humans can believe two entirely contradictory things at the same time; and how we actively believe in a society of law and order whilst also crashing our shopping trolleys into cars and running like mad without taking any responsibility.

The comedians present to the audience PowerPoint presentations, sketches and “data collection” (audience participation) how and why we make poor life decisions. When they’re not embarking on pseudo-science comedy, the duo have other pursuits. Colley produces and co-hosts Sci Fight Science Comedy Debate year-round where scientists and comedians come together and argue while trying to figure out what’s going on. Ben Mckenzie is part of the team behind the award-winning time-travel comedy Night Terrace and currently co-hosts the Terry Pratchett book club podcast Pratchat.

Absurd, light-hearted and thought-provoking, You Chose Poorly is Indiana Jones meets How I Met Your Mother meets Monty Python. Just when the audience begins to truly empathise with Game of Thrones’ Jon Snow, Mckenzie provides us with a poetic ode to the Stegosaurus, his favourite dinosaur, and we are back to knowing nothing like poor old Jon. As the two put it: “Our brains suck at probability, statistics and percentages” which ultimately leads to subconscious and uninformed decisions-making, in short, we * are * easily * manipulated.

In a world full of uncertainties, one thing is certain, seeing this show will not be a poor choice.

You Chose Poorly
Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2019
comedyfestival.com.au/2019/shows/you-chose-poorly