Headliners Lineup II (MICF)

After the success of their first incarnation, the sophomore and final line-up of the Headliners is ready to step up to the plate. The older sibling laid the foundations, now it's time to see what these newbies can do.

Janelle James is first up to take hold of the evening, and whether jet lagged or, by her own admission, "a little high", the NY comic's energy is waning. Usually a little peppier and sharper on her deliveries, James has loosened the hold on her jokes a bit and is taking things very easy tonight. That's not to say it doesn't work, and in fact the material on Hollywood and typecasting is rather well suited to this style, but to see James fumble slightly over her own gags is not the smoothest of lift offs for a comedy show.

Peculiarly, Orlando Baxter mirrors James' fatigued style, though his persona (through a quick YouTube search) seems far more intentional. Baxter wins the crowd over gradually and throughout his performance. It takes a little while to warm to his material, but by the time Baxter is recounting his former life as a public school teacher, the audience are in stitches. While some of his jokes are a little lost in translation - particularly those of Hispanic and lower class US stereotypes - Baxter is still sharp on the punchlines and rolling with the crowd like a pro.

With a couple of ups and downs to the proceedings, the brilliant Fortune Feimster brings it home in waves of comedic genius. Much of her set references her own journey of coming out, and how her Southern state parents dealt with such a non-Christian event. Feimster laughs at herself nearly as much as the punters do at her jokes, and isn't shy about who she is - nor should she be. Her attempts at referencing local phenomena come off a little grey, but Feimster has an affability that most comics couldn't dream of achieving. It's a great way to end a show, and calls forward a high demand for a full hour of Feimster.

Headliners II needs to iron out a few of the creases still before hitting all the high notes, and this will most likely come with the arrival of Joe DeRosa on 15 Apr. Currently, the comics padding out to compensate for the lost act is uneven and quite obvious, but there's still plenty to look forward to here.

Catch Headliners (program 2) till 23 Apr at Melbourne Town Hall, part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.