‘Heck Island’, a horrible place. If Hell was an off-kilter rock in the middle of the sea, this would be it! A maximum-security prison filled with all kinds of low lives, high risks and mediocre scruples. Killers, celebrity chefs and now their most recent occupant: Con Coutis, comedian extraordinaire.
Con Coutis, a man who fought his inner demons and won. Con Coutis, a man who was frozen in a block of ice only to be thawed out 50 years in the future to bring comedy back from extinction. But his future endeavours are a thing of the past. Now, Con is a man on a mission, providing entertainment to the scoundrels of Heck Island. But when Con himself is mistaken for an inmate, so begins his latest supersonic, audio action adventure!
I’ve seen Con Coutis three times now and each time his show has amazed me. I first saw his show ‘Con vs Con vs Con‘ going in blind and at the time I thought it was just your regular stand-up set. It wasn’t long until the other shoe dropped, and things changed completely. His second show ‘Con 2077‘ followed and shook things up yet again. I’ve said it before that Con Coutis is one of the most innovative and exciting comedians out there and that statement remains true years later. With his new show Escape From Heck Island, Con is taking things to an all-new level!
Con‘s shows start out deceptively simple on entry: it’s just a man, a microphone and a blank stage, until Con begins to introduce you to the meat and potatoes of his act being his elaborately set up and planned audio and visual extravaganza. As he takes us through an adventure of the mind, there’s fight choreography, dance choreography, audience participation and wall to wall gags. He refers to his show as his set like any other comedian would, yet it’s much more like a one-man theatre experience.
Constantly being rewritten and updated too, it is incredible just how on his game Con manages to stay. With little to no tripping up or remembering “oh yeah I don’t do that whole section anymore”. It’s like you’re watching an extremely funny kid playing on stage, only one with his own special effects and foley artistry! There’s even an element of magic to the show, displaying just how extensively prepared Con is for the possibilities of his audience participation. Yet, even when things don’t go as planned, the funny man can still run with it and make the experience a hilarious one for his enraptured audience.
The revisions and improvements to Con Coutis‘ shows extend to the technical side as well. While I was already impressed with the 360-degree soundscape which Con had created before, this time he takes it up a notch. Performing once more in Malthouse Theatre’s Playbox room, Con has gotten a much firmer grasp on the environment, making it his own. More than once I legitimately thought there was someone in the audience yelling at Con, such is the quality of the surround sound presentation. Con has been nominated for or won multiple Fringe Festival and Green Room awards for sound design and technical excellence, and he deserves every one of them.
The visual aspect has been expanded upon as well without foregoing the general “make believe” dynamic. Lighting effects as invisible explosions detonate, illuminating the room and adding to our investment in this wacky show. While there’s also a new video element to the night which sees one lucky audience member become an action hero. Audience participation in a Con Coutis show results not in embarrassment but rounds of cheers for those lucky and brave enough to go on the hero’s journey.
Con Coutis has put together yet another innovative, imaginative and brilliant hour of unique comedy with Escape From Heck Island. Seriously, he deserves an extra star just for that obscure Ocean’s Twelve gag alone (I got the reference, and I loved it, goddamn it!). Con Coutis remains a must-see for audiences, he’s thoroughly and passionately pushing the boundaries of what is possible through the art of stand-up comedy!
Con Coutis: Escape From Heck Island is currently playing at Malthouse Theatre‘s Playbox, as part of the 2025 Melbourne International Comedy Festival until April 20.
For more information and ticketing, visit:
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/browse-shows/escape-from-heck-island
https://www.malthousetheatre.com.au/whats-on/comedy-festival-2025/con-coutis-escape-from-heck-island
https://www.instagram.com/con_coutis
Photography supplied.